On a typical day walking around campus I’m sure most of you have run into someone walking outside enjoying a cigarette. As a smoker myself, I can tell you that more often than not, when I’m strolling down the sidewalk and I pass people by, I get many looks of disgust; such as that “it’s my air!” facial expression and my personal favorite, the “eww, stinky.”

I can’t count the number of people whose eyes turn into big no-smoking signs when they pass me. What does someone gain from glaring angrily towards a smoker? Last time I checked it was nothing, but maybe I missed a memo from Smith Jackson somewhere in time; we have to get the “bad guys” after all to make this campus friendlier.

If I’m coming off as cynical, pompous or arrogant then my point is being made. There is no reason to treat a smoker like a second class citizen for the mere reason that it takes a little extra to make it through the day. Speaking on behalf of smokers as a whole, I would like to think that sitting by a fountain and lighting up a cigarette can be done without disdain from the public. After all, it’s our air too.

Student: Matt Owens, ’08 - 05/03/07