New policy could ban smoking in dorms

Though 18-year-olds have traditionally cherished their legal right to smoke, Tufts is seeking to expand its general smoke free policy by banning smoking in all dormitories on campus.

The residential smoking ban, proposed by Director of Residential Life and Learning (ResLife) Yolanda King, would end the current policy that allows students to smoke in their rooms if windows remain open and doors remain closed. The current policies also require smokers who live with roommates to obtain the mutual consent of those they live with before lighting up.

Tufts students have been involved at the core of the campaign to implement the smoke free policy, according to King. Many students who have been annoyed with smoking in the dormitories have contacted ResLife to complain, she said. The administration has also faced pressure from parents, a few of whom have called to make complaints.

The hazards associated with second-hand smoke have also prompted many to encourage the implementation of the new policy. Second-hand smoke is a recognized cause of lung cancer and is associated with increased risk for respiratory tract infections, asthma, and irritation of the eye, nose, and throat. ResLife already forbids other smoke-producing objects, such as open-flame candles and incense, but these bans are in place largely because of the fire hazards they pose.

King's proposed residential ban has already received a favorable reaction from the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate. Senators approved of the policy under the conditions that one residential building on campus would be designated specifically for smokers and that cigarette disposal containers are provided.

Designating a smoking dormitory may not be practical, however, since smokers would have little opportunity to change rooms during their college career without sacrificing their habit, King said.

Many Tufts students seem to approve of King's smoke free policy due to the harmful effects of second-hand smoke. Junior Shibon Torres, a community health major, feels that the deadly consequences of smoking speak for themselves. A policy like the one ResLife is proposing would be a positive move in a campus campaign against smoking, Torres said.

Even some students who smoke, such as freshman SooYoung Park would like to see this policy implemented for health reasons. The current policy still exposes students to smoke since it seeps out through the opening at the bottom of the doors, Park said.

But other students feel that ResLife does not have the right to impose this policy because it infringes upon the smoker's legal right to smoke. If smoking bothers some people a great deal, they always have the option of substance free living, these students say.

ResLife has scheduled an open forum in the upcoming week so that students can voice their opinions and concerns on the new provision.

Discussion of a residential smoking ban on campus comes on the heels of a recently-passed ban on smoking in bars and clubs in downtown Boston. Like the proposed Tufts policy, the Boston law was crafted with the victims of second-hand smoke-- mostly waiters and bartenders -- in mind.