Being a smoker, I took it as a compliment that the university placed the concrete ashtrays on East Second Street sidewalks. Right next to these ashtrays, there are signs that say “no smoking beyond this point.” So this makes it pretty obvious that this area before the sign is clear for smoking, right?
Wrong. After getting “caught” three times this semester committing this murderous smoke crime in this very spot I speak of, I politely asked the security guard why the ashtrays and signs were here. The answer: “They are invalid.”
What’s next, speed limit signs are “invalid” too? Someone really needs to get their story straight. Is it too hard to use a screwdriver to take the signs down? Or perhaps move the ashtrays off campus somewhere?
The thing that really had me going the other day was the huge bale of hay by the ashtrays. Are they trying to make us start a fire on campus, so they can blame us even more? Let’s just pretend this never happened. (I never have my camera at the right times).
It was nice to have this moderate freedom once I found out smoking was prohibited on campus, and sure I had to walk a little bit, but I definitely have respect for the rules. I also think this respect should be given back to us paying students; I mean after all, we do pay for the foundation of this school, from the building upgrades, to our great professor’s salaries. We pay for the awesome library, and we pay for the awesome gas-guzzling Ford Expeditions our university police must have.
What’s so puzzling in this situation is the lack of communication. I have seen our Bloomsburg town police and Bloomsburg University police walk by me and say hello, just as I am puffing away, no questions asked, no problems. I thought I was in the right place, based on these experiences, and I know very well how to exercise my constitutional rights. You can have a bad seed sometimes.
The biggest BU problem this year is the parking. For a university police staff of 27, according to the Bloomsburg University website, I think smoke police shouldn’t be a thought in anyone’s mind. Start shoveling some rocks and let’s make sure everyone has a clean and safe place to park every morning.
Remember it is the clean indoor air act, not the clean outdoor air act. Smoke dissipates rather well outside, unless of course someone is breathing directly through the doors at Bakeless at 10am, which doesn’t happen anymore.
We should all show some respect. Don’t smoke in the quad. I’ve seen guards hover there too. Don’t let them get a $250 fine off of you. Who would have ever thought an underage alcohol fine would be comparable in price with a cigarette smoking fine? It is about time this Clean Indoor Air Act gets re-written. Or maybe I will just roll this act up and smoke it.
