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By demonizing pleasure, we set ourselves up for unfulfilling sex lives.
Opinion: Let’s talk about sex
Published March 27, 2024

U looking into a smoke-free campus

ItâÄôs been exactly one year since smoking in bars, restaurants and other establishments became illegal in Minnesota, and some campuses across the state are taking this one step further and going entirely smoke free. The University is now conducting a study on being smoke free and may join the ranks. Boynton Health Service , in conjunction with the Office of Student Affairs, is developing a campus-wide smoking survey to administer to students, faculty and staff during the first week of October, Vice Provost for Student Affairs Jerry Rinehart said. The surveyâÄôs purpose is to get a broad sampling of peopleâÄôs attitudes toward smoking, Rinehart said. âÄúWe would be reluctant to adopt a policy that no one would support,âÄù he said. Banning smoking on campus would require discussion, but Rinehart said there would financial benefit as well. Tobacco-related illnesses account for 9 to 10 percent of the University’s health benefits expenditures for faculty and staff, he said. This amounts to approximately $11 million annually. âÄúItâÄôs not going to make or break the University, but it is certainly something we are looking at in this study,âÄù he said. Rinehart said he also feels a smoking ban could reduce the number of smokers on campus and may entice other universities to consider a ban. Stephen Hecht, professor and chairman of the UniversityâÄôs Cancer Prevention Center , said smoke-free legislation in California and Massachusetts has resulted in smoking rates below 20 percent in those states. Dave Golden, public health and marketing director at Boynton, said there is a surprisingly low number of students who smoke regularly on campus. A recent Boynton survey found that 96 percent of University undergraduates donâÄôt use tobacco on a daily basis; 80 percent report they never use tobacco products. This is the lowest rate since tobacco-use data was first collected in 1992. âÄúThis generation of students is not like any other,âÄù Golden said. âÄúTheyâÄôve really got it figured out.âÄù But Golden said there are safety issues that could arise with such a policy. âÄúIs it realistic to have somebody that really wants to smoke to have to go off campus at night to have a cigarette?âÄù he said. âÄúThere is a safety issue there.âÄù Rinehart also said a ban would bring questions regarding campus boundaries. Margaret Johnson, English studies junior and smoker, said a campus smoking ban would be difficult to implement and control because campus is so large. âÄúYou would probably still see students smoking on campus,âÄù Johnson said. âÄúBut I think if smokers had designated smoking areas people would respect that.âÄù The UniversityâÄôs current policy prohibits smoking in all facilities and within 25 feet of building entrances. Universities across the state are going smoke-free. Minnesota State University Moorhead went smoke-free in January , and the University of Minnesota, Crookston, campus will be smoke-free by January 2009. The University of Minnesota, Duluth campus went smoke-free in September 2007 . However, Dori Becker, a health educator at UMD Health Services, said she noticed students having a hard time adjusting. âÄúLast spring I still saw people smoking around campus,âÄù she said. âÄúYou wouldnâÄôt have even known there was a smoking policy in place.âÄù Becker said in retrospect, she wishes there would have been an educational campaign to prepare student smokers for a smoke-free campus. Both Rinehart and Golden agreed that programs would need to be available to students if a smoking ban were to be put in place. âÄúWe have very affective and powerful cessation programs through Boynton that help those who are addicted to nicotine,âÄù Rinehart said. âÄúThe question is how much advanced warning should we give smokers so they can go through these programs.âÄù Rinehart said the smoke-free campus study should be completed by the first of the year, and there should be recommendations for the University by spring. There would also be a six-month waiting period between making a decision and putting a policy in place.

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