Signs can now be found all over campus about the new smoke zones that were established on Aug. 1. There are four designated spots for any type of tobacco use which can be found next to Straz Hall near the baseball field, by the Hillsborough River, between the Macdonald-Kelce Library and McKay Hall, on the north side of the Thompson Building and in Delo Park in front of Austin Hall.
Although no penalties are currently enforced for smoking outside of the zones, students throughout UT have varying opinions on the new designated areas.
“I consider myself to be a respectful smoker,” said Henry Warren, a freshman. “Whenever I smoke, I try to steer clear of people. The only smoke zone I had knowledge of was this one, which was convenient since I currently reside here.”
Freshman Layaal Hage felt like the smoke zones were few and far between. “We should have a few more smoke zones either outside Vaughn or by each resident hall,” Hage said.
Weather may prove another problem on top of the designated smoke zones, as students aren’t willing to travel in harsh conditions.
Ali Alramadham said, “The problem with these zones is if it is raining I won’t use them, and will probably smoke outside the smoke zone.”
Junior Sarah Escamilla voiced a similar concern. “When it’s monsooning I don’t want to walk to my smoke zone,” Escamilla said.
For some smokers, the practice has introduced students to other UT smokers, creating a sense of community by just asking for a lighter.
“So far I’ve met people here whether they smoke or not,” Warren said. “It’s a great way to meet others.”
UT continues to express the negative effects of tobacco use on their Facebook page and through Global Messages. Several students felt as though they were being singled out, but none of the students felt that being singled out would cause them to quit using tobacco.
While some students opposed the zone designation, others have embraced it. However, students living near any of the designated zones still have to put up with the smoke.
Freshman Alanna Leider said that despite the zone, she felt like she was still walking out of Austin Hall and breathing in the secondhand smoke. “It’s in an inconvenient spot near my residence hall,” she said.
However, another freshman Alex Brown, said, “The smoke zone by McKay is very convenient for a non-smoker because it’s a good distance from the building.”
Similarly, Junior Danny Santamaria said, “I like that everyone is not blowing smoke in my face.”
Although smokers and nonsmokers had many different views about the smoke zones, both groups felt that the zones would not decrease smoking and instead do the opposite.
In an article on ut.edu, senior Laura Manke, student coordinator of Breatheasy UT, said that many universities who initially started with zones have moved to 100 percent smoke-free campuses. However, UT students, both smokers and nonsmokers remain skeptical.
Rachel Baranowski can be reached at Rachel.Baranowski@spartans.ut.edu
Should have used upperclassmen to interview and not just freshman. Since they have seen the campus without designated areas for years, it would be interesting to see what their opinion is. Freshman never knew of anything different.