Stop
smoking for just a minute
Rachel
Moten
The sky
is dark, people are drinking, and smoke permeates the air
outside MU’s Memorial Stadium. There are plenty of nights
that this type of behavior will continue as smoking is no
longer allowed inside the stadium.
The smoking
policy has been in effect since the mid-1990s according to
Kim Dude, director of Wellness Resource Center. “It’s
the way to go. I think we should stand against the hazards
of second hand smoke to protect our students’ health,”
said Dude.
“MU
has decided students cannot smoke in buildings, inside the
football stadium, and they limit how close people can smoke
to an entrance of a building,” said Jim Spain, assistant
dean of academic programs.
People
cannot smoke in the football stadium, so they go outside to
smoke. “[This] creates a more comfortable environment
in the stands and also a safer environment. This would prevent
someone from inadvertently stinging someone on the hand if
the crowd begins to jump up and down,” said Spain. He
speculates that smoking was probably banned at the stadium
because, “More fans would prefer not to smoke versus
fans that would want to smoke in the stands.” Spain
said if smoking were banned in restaurants, some businesses
would begin to lose customers, especially restaurants that
have bars.
Bryan
Weimer, MU Police Department Captain said, “If ushers
are having a problem with people [complying], then they step
in.”
Those
who want to smoke, “are permitted to walk outside of
the stadium gates with a ticket and a hand stamp and return,”
explained Chad Moller, manager of sports information.
MU students
Chris Gray and Carol Nichols said the no-smoking zone in the
stadium is fair, and they can understand if people do not
want to be bothered with second-hand smoke. “If they
don’t impose their rights on me, I won’t impose
my rights on them,” said Nichols.
According
to Moller, MU students are accustomed to the policy by now.
Chris Gray said, “If you can’t last an hour-and-a
half, you need to cut back a little.”
For more
information about the smoking policy you can visit the MU
Business Policy and Procedure Web site.
