You don’t want to smell my butt, so don’t make me smell yours.

On my way to class last week, I found myself having to walk through a gauntlet of smoke outside the Long Student Center. Not only did I smell like an ashtray, I had been exposed to harmful second-hand smoke. Having recently lost a loved one to lung cancer caused by smoking, this hits real close to home for me.

According to the American Heart Association, the link between second-hand smoke and disease is wellknown. “Each year about 38,000 people die from heart and blood vessel disease caused by other people’s smoke. Non-smokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke increase their risk of developing heart disease by 25 – 30%.”

The push for smoke-free campuses is increasing every day; The Tobacco Free College Campus Initiative states that “smoke-free campuses are defined as smoking is prohibited on campus property including, but not limited to parking lots, fields, sports and recreation areas and stadiums. The policy applies to all students, faculty, staff and other persons on campus.”

As of January 2015, there are 1,514 smoke-free campuses in the U.S. Of these 1,514 campuses, 12 are in Kansas.

In the fourth quarter of 2014, legislation posted that there are four industries that are now 100 percent smoke-free: government worksites, private worksites, restaurants and daycare centers.

Smoke-free campuses do not expect every smoker to just quit cold turkey since smoking is not allowed on campus. USA Today reports that universities are providing smoking cessation services. Students are offered support groups and nicotine replacement therapy such as gum, patches and lozenges. Some even offer quit-kits, such as packages containing gum and cinnamon sticks.

If Baker doesn’t push for a smoke-free campus, then we should have a designated area, closed off for those who can’t kick the habit. It invades my airspace to walk by a smoker. Those of us who don’t smoke are extremely sensitive to it.

The American Lung Association claims that smoking is deadlier than ever, saying tobacco kills 480,000 Americans a year. ALA also links smoking to a variety of conditions including diabetes and congenital defects.

It upsets me to see my classmates harming their bodies as well as the bodies of students around them. I have seen first-hand what smoking can do to a person. Not only is smoking bad for your health, it also causes an eyesore for our beautiful college campus, with butts littering the lawn and the ashtrays outside the buildings.

According to Public Health Fact Sheet, “tobacco smoke contains more than 172 substances considered toxic, and the smoke isn’t the only problem. Cigarette butts are a another concern for biologists as they are not biodegradable and are the number one form of litter found on beaches. “

I realize that it is a smoker’s right to be able to smoke out in the open air, but next time you light up, please remember that we also have the right to clean air.