City College News

Improvements are currently being made to the common outdoor area of Minneapolis Community and Technical College, which will give a "greener" look to the campus. Soon there will be new benches, tables and newly implanted trees that will stretch from Loring Park up to the campus. With all the improvements on the landscape soon to come, some are wondering if MCTC will push smokers completely off campus.

At the moment, MCTC has five designated smoking areas located in various spaces across the campus. According to the college's website, if students are caught smoking in undesignated areas, consequences may involve "fines and/or College disciplinary actions." The college has always had smoking accommodations for their faculty and students since it began many years ago, but that may change.

According to Curt Schimndt, MCTC's Public Safety Director, "Determining if the campus will eliminate all of the designated smoking areas will take time." The Student Senate, the faculty union, as well as several other unions including the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, must first democratically decide whether or not MCTC will become a smoke-free campus.

According to the group Americans for Nonsmokers Rights, approximately 305 campuses in the country are completely smoke-free including 8 in the state of Minnesota. This means that tobacco use is completely prohibited on the campus grounds. Some members of MCTC would be more than delighted to see their campus next on the list.

"In the longer run, I think it would help to create a more 'smoke-free culture' here at MCTC," says Cathy Geist, a biology instructor with a focus on environmental science. Geist suggests that a smoke-free campus would be beneficial in "preventing the human health effects of second-hand smoke on campus" because when people smoke near entrances, smoke is still able to get inside.

For many colleges, one of the main reasons for taking the smoke-free campus approach is to prevent their students and faculty from smoking to avoid the possibility of lung and heart diseases. This concern is also geared towards those who do not smoke. According to the American Lung Association, "Secondhand smoke causes almost 50,000 deaths in adult nonsmokers in the United States each year, including approximately 3,400 from lung cancer and 22,700-69,600 from heart disease."

"Why should I have to breathe in everyone else's disgusting habit?" asks full-time student Jessie Reyes. "It really is unavoidable when you are walking in or out of a building."

The American Cancer Society suggests that the highest percentages of smokers are under the age of 25. MCTC is known for having students of diverse age groups. According to the college's website, the average age of all the students attending the school is 28.

When asked how she would feel about not smoking on campus, 32-year-old student Dunita said, "I am grown and do as I please," as she enjoyed a cigarette between her classes.

If MCTC becomes a smoke-free campus, according to Mr. Schimdt, "We are taking into consideration the safety of our students."

However, smoker Kathy Johnson, a kitchen cook for the school for the last 5 years, is more concerned for the immediate safety of smokers. "Where will we go if we could not smoke on campus?" Johnson protests. "Someone could easily get hit by a car, if we had to stand near a busy street."

The possibility of a ban has some wondering if it will actually help those who smoke. "If they are trying to the decrease the amount of people who smoke, then it's not going to be effective," instructor Derrick Lindstrom says, "Then again, it may be beneficial for those who only socially smoke."

Could the possibility of a smoke-free campus actually turn social smokers into non-smokers? According to "Web MD" Dr. Jack E. Henningfield, a psychiatry professor at Johns Hopkins Medical School, "The good side is if a person is honest, and truly is only smoking in social situations -- and those are not daily situations -- that person is at a lower level of dependence. If properly motivated, such people should be able to quit completely."

So, should the smokers of MCTC pull back on their tobacco intake, in case the decision is made to ban smoking on campus? Only time will tell.

For more information about the Student Senate at MCTC or how you get involved, visit http://www.mctcsenate.org/

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