By: Shira Krimsky
Sophomore Kinesiology Major
SPH Student Ambassador
On June 30th, 2013, all University of Maryland campuses will officially be smoke free. The policy was cast to a vote last July and the board of regents voted unanimously in favor. Many students have spent the past two semesters preparing for the change in a variety of ways. Some students are excited about the change and have been anticipating the smoking ban for quite some time. In November, a group of students including representatives from the Student Health Advisory Committee (SHAC) hosted the Great American Smoke Out in the Stamp This event helped educate students about the policy and also encouraged students to quite smoking, both off and on campus. Prizes were given to those who pledged to quit smoking and the University Health Center’s Edie Anderson was there to offer her smoking cessation services. 
Student Union. The smoking ban has been met with a variety of opinions: some supportive, some oppositional. Some students are excited to walk around campus without the fear of ending up in a cloud of second hand smoke. Others are less enthusiastic and see this as an infringement on their personal rights. Many other institutions surrounding UMCP, including Towson University and The Community College of Baltimore County, have already implemented smoking bans and have faced similar opposition initially, but said that overall the ban was effective.
One of the main concerns regarding the effectiveness of the ban is that it won’t be enforced and people won’t listen. The current law for University of Maryland campuses is that individuals cannot smoke indoors or within 25 feet of a campus building. However, almost all UMCP students have seen the group of smokers that stands only 5 feet away from McKeldin library, leaving a plume in their midst. Other students have also complained of smokers standing outside their dorm room windows and preventing them from getting fresh air. Many are worried that the smoking ban may not actually be effective. In order for campus to be smoke free, the ban must be enforced.
How do you enforce a ban that affects over 30,000 students? Stay tuned for June 30th to find out! Catch up on the issue with these news articles:
University Senate skeptical of Board of Regents' campuswide smoking ban – The Diamondback Online
No designatedsmoking areas in U. Senate-approved ban – The Diamondback Online
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