(Presented by Chairman of the Smoker’s Union: Jahanzaib Haque)



Mission Statement: We are out to have smoking lounges installed within all of/within the large majority of college dorms, as well as within Lowry center.



Why Smoking Lounges?



The advantages to having smoking lounges are numerous:



1: Smoking lounges allow smokers to have a warm, well ventilated room to smoke in, as opposed to being forced to stand outside in mildly chilly (during the fall semester) to outright freezing (during spring semester) weather conditions. A few fans strategically placed in the windows of any room/lounge could easily take care of this problem.



2: Smoking lounges would take care of the messy problem of cigarette butts surrounding the entrances to all dorms. With smoking lounges equipped with a number of ashtrays, this problem would simply require emptying out ashtrays daily.



3: Smoking lounges would be easier to implement and maintain rather than the largely inefficient smoking stands placed outside all dorms.



4: The reality of the current situation is that smokers are forced to either smoke secretly in stairwells, hallways and bathroom stalls or constantly occupy the infinitesimal minority of rooms where both/all three roommates smoke. This causes the obvious problems of smoke all over the halls and extreme disturbance and distraction for rooms where its occupants condone smoking. Smoking lounges would alleviate both these problems.



Arguments against Smoking Lounges:



1: There are only a minority of smokers on campus who experience these problems on a daily basis



Ans: True, the majority of the college population doesn’t smoke, but every smoker on this campus does suffer and a simple majority vote cannot rule in this situation. The decision for smoking lounges would be essentially beneficial for the majority of the population as well, considering the clean-up of cigarette butts and the non-smoky hallways and toilets.



2: It will cost too much to implement.



Ans: Smoking lounges are cheap and efficient. There is already a cleaning staff within dorms/Lowry, which could handle a simple clean up of ashtrays everyday. To convert a room or lounge into a smoking section requires just a couple of fans for ventilation and ashtrays to deposit cigarette butts in.



3: where do we find room for these smoking lounges?



Ans: Certain dorms have entirely unused lounges along their first floor. Other dorms have free rooms within their basements. Lowry has numerous rooms which are not in constant use which could be converted into a smoking lounge. With a little effort with Residential Life, places could be found to install smoking lounges in all the dorms and Lowry center. We aren’t asking for well-decorated or snazzy lounges, merely places that are warm and functioning for the smoker to stop in for a little while.



4: Smoking lounges will encourage smoking and are bad for health.



Ans: People who smoke will use smoking lounges. Anyone else who uses those lounges will do so on their own free will. Beyond this, smoking lounges will actually help the health issue by stopping smokers from overusing other smoker’s rooms and from smoking freely in the hallways/stairwells. This is not a question of whether smoking is good or bad, it is a request to see our needs fulfilled and our suffering alleviated.



I’m still not convinced….



Smoking lounges have been successfully implemented in colleges all over the United States. Even our close neighbor Oberlin has functioning smoking lounges within every dorm.



Smoking lounges are the logical solution to help out both smokers and non-smokers to come to terms with each other. Rather than ignoring the significant smoking community on-campus, allow us room to be comfortable within this environment.