By now, all San Diego Community College District students have received an ominous email from the
Vice Chancellor of Student Services, warning of dire consequences for anyone caught smoking on district premises. This email was to inform students and faculty of the new “Board Policy 0505,” which  threatens any student or faculty member caught smoking on school property with disciplinary action.

According to the new policy, “Beginning Dec. 1, 2013, enforcement of Board Policy 0505 will expand
to include reporting any student violating this policy to the respective dean of Student Affairs for disciplinary proceedings as outlined in section 1.3 of Administrative Procedure 0505.2-Smoke and Tobacco-Free District Property Enforcement.”

Going further, the new policy states: “Students who do not adhere to this policy are subject to violations of the Student Code of Conduct, Board Policy 3100, Section 3, Subsection 0; Student Code of Conduct; smoking on district premises.”

As a smoker (full disclosure), in my opinion, this expansion of the smoking ban is completely unnecessary. As it is, no one smokes on campus, and if they do, I’ve never once seen it happen. I know that I have never personally smoked on campus, either.

Smokers, especially ones that live in California, are already treated as second-class (or worse) citizens.
Smoking cigarettes isn’t a character defect; it’s a bad habit.

All of the smokers that I’ve encountered at Mesa are very respectful; staying in approved smoking areas, not exhaling in the direction of others, properly putting out their cigarettes. Think about it. Have you ever had someone walk brazenly past you on campus, smoking a cigarette, polluting your air with their second-hand smoke?

Had that happened at Mesa, the offender would likely have been tarred, feathered, and driven from the land. However, this is California, after all. Anyone who does this may end up sentenced to the gas chamber.

No. People who smoke at Mesa do so without bothering anyone else, or endangering their health. We are respectful of other people’s space and health. We already follow the rules.

Which makes me form the opinion that this ban is nothing more than political posturing. Trying to assuage people who are worried about their health that an overly zealous policy will remove a non-existent threat to their health. And no, I’m not saying that smoking is healthy. It’s not. It’s one of the most destructive things a person can do to their body.

But what exactly is this ban supposed to accomplish?

Does the San Diego Community College District Board of Trustees have nothing better to do than this?
Policies that threaten certain groups of students with being reported for “disciplinary action” are scare tactics, and nothing more. How many people’s names do you actually know at Mesa? How is anyone going to be reported if no one knows who it is breaking the rules?

This policy is counter-productive and not enforceable.