A Smoking-Free Campus?

geranamo · 12-08-2014 12:14PM

Eogclouder wrote: »

I think there needs to be a clear line or a limit on this aswell thought. They're adults, if they want to smoke, let them smoke. As long as they're not littering and harming anyone else.

But many of them are littering.

Eogclouder · 12-08-2014 12:36PM

geranamo wrote: »

The difference between smoking and drinking alcohol is that the smokers are smoking every day.
I don't know many students that drink alcohol every single day.

Then you don't know many students. You can walk into college bar or any popular pub and find people drinking there, usually it's the same heads. Many students drop out of college due to alcohol. Never going to lectures, always hungover, never motivated. Cans and bottles litter our streets constantly.

geranamo wrote: »

Smoking causes a lot more damage.

You should really research the effects of alcohol. This isn't true.

geranamo wrote: »

If you have a roommate that smokes, I'm sure its not nice having an apartment that stinks of smoke.

Don't really see how this relates to the college in any shape or form.

geranamo wrote: »

Anyways what brought you onto my profile. The big problem with setting up a thread on boards.ie is that people usually divert attention onto the OP. As I said to Sqeeonline already, that is a sign that people can't defend themselves. And so far only one person has made an effort to deny that smokers are unintelligent, but a poor effort. But I respect him for trying instead of coming up with sarcastic comments that are supposed to make us lol.

You spend your time working in an establishment where you're paid to serve a substance that's a nervous system depressant, causes cancer and is chemically addictive. While at work you're watching people drink it en masse and probably joining in every now and then yourself when the mood strikes you or you're not working.

Even though you are in this environment interacting with people knocking back what's essentially poison, you don't bat an eye-lid. Yet if someone lights up a fag, they're immediately judged by you as being "unintelligent". This is hypocrisy and a double standard.

You can only view smokers as "unintelligent" for their decision to continue smoking, if you also view every other unhealthy and poor choice anyone else makes (including you) as equally as unintelligent in those choices, otherwise you don't really have a leg to stand on.

The sarcastic comments in this thread are laughing at the fact that you don't even realize your own hypocrisy and double standard, while they whiz past your head.

Eogclouder · 12-08-2014 12:50PM

Mr. Talk wrote: »

As I said there is nothing wrong with occasionally having a drink as long as it not everyday. And who said that I drink? And I don't work in a bar. I just wrote that. Do really think I would give every single detail about myself? What other unhealthy decisions could I have made? Once again the tread is all about the op instead of the real topic. Waste of time.

You seem to be logged into the wrong account :pac:

geranamo · 12-08-2014 01:03PM

Eogclouder wrote: »

You seem to be logged into the wrong account :pac:

Some bully is setting up an account and then deleting it, trying to portray me as some idiot. Cut it out now. If some of you continue with the comical comments while making fun of me, then I am just going to request that this thread be deleted.
So for the last time I will ask the question : Should we ban smoking on campus?

geranamo · 12-08-2014 06:40PM

Ficheall wrote: »

It is indeed!

Tell me, geranamo - in this elite new college of ours, where there are no smokers, no drinkers, no drug-takers, no coffee-imbibers, no fatties, and no grammar-jews - how many students do you envision NUIG having?

I never said we don't have any of those people. I just asked a simple question; should be ban smoking on the nuig campus. There is no need to get dramatic.

geranamo · 12-08-2014 06:56PM

I am a medical student and I am frequently around the hospital. I speak to the staff there and they say the ban has been a great success. We do have security, but they tend do drive around a lot instead of doing foot patrols.

Squeeonline · 12-08-2014 10:59PM

Do people believe me now when I accused Geranamo of being a troll? Either a troll (a successful one mind), or an idiot.

geranamo wrote:

I speak to the staff there and they say the ban has been a great success.

How scientific of you.

I've spoken to people who work in the hospital too who know of rooms/areas that staff and patients occasionally smoke.

Don't get me wrong, I would love a smoking ban everywhere, but it's just not feasible in all cases. We've banned it from inside buildings, the next incremental step would be banning it from near doors/windows etc.

Maybe create specific smoking shelters for people to hide from the wind/rain that a levy on cigarettes on campus pays for. I wish I had the figures for the numbers of smokers who quit because of the smoking ban and being forced outside in the cold/wind/rain.

Eogclouder · 12-08-2014 11:11PM

He's spamming me via private message now asking me to delete the post by the other account I quoted that disappeared. Probably because it's his.

Messages: http://imgur.com/a/NpxEC

Lostman1990 · 12-08-2014 11:20PM

geranamo wrote: »

The difference between smoking and drinking alcohol is that the smokers are smoking every day. I don't know many students that drink alcohol every single day. Smoking causes a lot more damage. If you have a roommate that smokes, I'm sure its not nice having an apartment that stinks of smoke.
Anyways what brought you onto my profile. The big problem with setting up a thread on boards.ie is that people usually divert attention onto the OP. As I said to Sqeeonline already, that is a sign that people can't defend themselves. And so far only one person has made an effort to deny that smokers are unintelligent, but a poor effort. But I respect him for trying instead of coming up with sarcastic comments that are supposed to make us lol.

I'm a non-smoker but I don't have a problem with smoking on campus. So it should not be banned on campus. It is banned in enclosed public places which I do agree with. What is to be gained by banning smoking on campus? If you really want to start a campaign about health on the college campus, I suggest you look into issues of obesity. I attended a conference on obesity in the university last year and it is going to be a huge issue for Western society over the next few years. Drinking, unhealthy food, advertisements of such things. One medical professional and an economists talked about how the food companies nowadays are acting in the same manner as the cigarettes companies did in the 1950's and 1960's. The simple fact that I learned from that conference is that obesity and obesity related illnesses are going to be the major causes of health issues in the following years.
You work as a barman and you say that alcohol is not as big a problem in this country or the university as someone smoking outside the library? Have you asked your friends in the hospital about A&E on any Thursday, Friday or Saturday night in the country. Have you talked to any domestic violence groups about the damage alcohol does to families? Have you talked to any AA groups about the amount of lives destroyed by alcohol in this country. Do you not understand that most year failures in the university have over consumption of alcohol as a main reason. But, you want to crusade about smoking outside a library. Where the majority use the ashtrays. I admit some don't but this is university. Wait until you see the amount of people who can't use the toilet facilities properly.
I know you probably mean well but it is a non-issue. In the scheme of things in university it really is. I wish you well in your crusade in making university life better for students but remember what the real issues students are faced with in university. I'll give you a hint - smoking outside on the campus is a long way down the list.

Lostman1990 · 12-08-2014 11:28PM

Squeeonline wrote: »

Do people believe me now when I accused Geranamo of being a troll? Either a troll (a successful one mind), or an idiot.

How scientific of you.

I've spoken to people who work in the hospital too who know of rooms/areas that staff and patients occasionally smoke.

Don't get me wrong, I would love a smoking ban everywhere, but it's just not feasible in all cases. We've banned it from inside buildings, the next incremental step would be banning it from near doors/windows etc.

Maybe create specific smoking shelters for people to hide from the wind/rain that a levy on cigarettes on campus pays for. I wish I had the figures for the numbers of smokers who quit because of the smoking ban and being forced outside in the cold/wind/rain.

Smoking is unhealthy. But so is eating high fat foods. Why not start levying things like these? Why don't we start just banning all these things? Once the smoke is not harming people who don't smoke,leave it be is my stance. The main reasons people give up smoking are through proper education at a young age, bans on advertisements aimed at young people, and health reasons. Taxation also helps. The food companies are using exactly all the same tactics that the cigarette companies did but what do we say about it. Nothing. The European Commission even failed to get the food companies to label certain things on certain foods because of the lobbies that the food companies have in Brussels. I hear very little from government, SU's, health professionals, etc about this. It is going to be an epidemic. And what are we worried about? Stopping people from smoking at windows.......

Eogclouder · 12-08-2014 11:28PM

Lostman1990 is his third account. This is hilarious.

Lostman1990 · 12-08-2014 11:34PM

Eogclouder wrote: »

Lostman1990 is his third account. This is hilarious.

I have actually been arguing against him, lad. And I also had an argument with him on his previous account....

Lostman1990 · 12-08-2014 11:37PM

Eogclouder wrote: »

Lostman1990 is his third account. This is hilarious.

He is also accusing you of setting up an account and then deleting it just to make him look bad. I know for a fact that his first account was set up well before his second account based on the argument I had with him on his first account. So I can back you up on that account.

Ficheall · 13-08-2014 02:34AM

Lostman1990 wrote: »

I have actually been arguing against him, lad. And I also had an argument with him on his previous account....

He was joking. Since your points were so lucid and well thought out, in contrast to some.

I've been accused of being the idiot Mr talk too.

A brief course in "how to use the internet" should be compulsory for all SU members, if not all students.

leeroybrown · 13-08-2014 10:07AM

let the smokers smoke but fine them €50 every time they throw a cigarette butt on the ground. They make a horrible mess of the place.

QuantumP · 18-08-2014 01:11AM

Have designated smoking area's away from main doors that have cigarette bins. Like this

wmirl · 18-08-2014 02:11AM

That idea sounds too sensible for NUIG to implement it.

leeroybrown · 18-08-2014 08:03AM

wmirl wrote: »

That idea sounds too sensible for NUIG to implement it.

It would cost money therefore it won't happen.

QuantumP · 18-08-2014 10:35AM

leeroybrown wrote: »

It would cost money therefore it won't happen.

It wouldn't cost that much. Are NUIG not rolling around in money?

Ficheall · 18-08-2014 11:54AM

Don't they already have one in front of the Arts Millenium? I don't think it's a bus stop.. I've never seen anyone using it anyway.

laoch na mona · 18-08-2014 02:24PM

i've never noticed smokers being a problem so why bother kicking them of campus

wmirl · 18-08-2014 02:37PM

QuantumP wrote: »

It wouldn't cost that much. Are NUIG not rolling around in money?

Nope, that's why there's a lovely hole right next to Aras Ui Cathail. It moved there from beside the library.

leeroybrown · 18-08-2014 04:56PM

QuantumP wrote: »

It wouldn't cost that much. Are NUIG not rolling around in money?

No. They have quite a few capital projects in progress but they're all funded from specific schemes. Outside of the capital projects the University is running on a more constrained budget than ever. That said, in the case of new building projects I do think that it would make sense of having a policy of where possible designating a smoking area and adding some facilities.

leeroybrown · 18-08-2014 04:57PM

wmirl wrote: »

Nope, that's why there's a lovely hole right next to Aras Ui Cathail. It moved there from beside the library.

They should be starting work on putting six floors (four up, two down) of building into that hole next semester.

Rocking_roxy · 19-08-2014 02:52PM

I vote smoke free. Cleaner, healthier campus. I hate just walking along and walking into a smoke cloud.

pourquoi · 20-08-2014 04:57PM

The biggest blackspot for smokers is outside Áras na Mac Léinn and the back of the College Bar.

Interestingly, a person in Student Services told me that the University has a policy where it is "illegal" to smoke within 6 metres of a door or window of any building on campus.

So there's a simple solution: make the water park hole a giant smoker's shelter. Simples! :P

leeroybrown · 20-08-2014 05:09PM

pourquoi wrote: »

Interestingly, a person in Student Services told me that the University has a policy where it is "illegal" to smoke within 6 metres of a door or window of any building on campus.

Illegal's the wrong word for it. When the smoking ban came in the government recommendation to employers was to prohibit smoking within six metres of entrances to prevent smoke entering the workplace. NUIG and most public sector employers have this policy. It is illegal for an employer to allow smoke to enter the workplace so technically they should probably mark out no-smoking areas and enforce the policy.

pourquoi · 20-08-2014 05:21PM

"Prohibit" is the word I was searching for, but it eluded me. Thank you.

When you think about it, six metres is totally impractical for many public buildings, especially universities.

A Smoking-Free Campus?

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