Ohio U. 'Not a Police State' Even Though Admins Banned Smoking, Will Force Cessation On Non-Compliers

Definitely not a police state.

Wikimedia Commons

Administrators at Ohio University are working to eliminate smoking—cigarettes and e-cigarettes—from campus. Starting next year, smoking will be absolutely prohibited on university property. No designated smoking areas, nothing. Similar polices have gone into effect at many campuses, of course, and while they are vexing to libertarians (and smokers, obviously), they don't seem to be going away anytime soon.

Like smoking prohibitions at other campuses, there is no specific punishment for people who violate it. Administrators wouldn't want OU to "become a police state," according to OU Vice President Ryan Lombardi.

Does this sound like a police state to you? From The Athens News:

Lombardi said the university plans to use a "community, Good-Samaritan kind of model" to enforce the smoking ban. He said the school currently has no specific plans for disciplinary action for students who smoke on campus, outside of repeat offenders being sent to OU's Office of Community Standards to "talk to somebody."

… Lombardi said he wants language to be clear from day one of a student's attendance, or employment, at OU that smoking is not allowed. He said students' bosses at campus jobs can discipline those who repeatedly break the rule.

Lombardi said a series of campus initiatives are planned to notify students and employees of the new smoking ban throughout this coming year. He said the university is also looking at creating a number of smoking cessation programs and classes to help students quit. Attendance could be mandatory after a certain number of times a student is caught smoking on campus.

Not a police state, just administrators of a government education agency informing students they can't smoke on public property, they are discouraged from smoking at all, and they should definitely check out these classes and products to help them quit. Just, you know, if they want.

Hat tip: The College Fix

Comments

[Los Doyers]

Meh. I got to UC Irvine, and am a smoker, so this ain't nuthin new. The funny thing is that many smokers--like me--just take their puffing to the school parking lots. The law of unintended consequences, how does it work?
http://www.policies.uci.edu/adm/pols/903-14.html

[Los Doyers]

go*

[Los Doyers]

and yes, "parking lots" are included in the prohibited category, but I don't think the student workers really give that much of shit about it, when they could instead be handing out parking tickets.

[Warty]

THE shittiest Ohio state university.

[briannnnn]

I'm sitting across from a coworker that went there right now. He's actually a pretty bright guy...buy yeah, it blows.

[The Tone Police]

Oh, I think that award goes to Bowling Green:

At Bowling Green State University, classes will resume Jan. 13 under a new ban that also is largely self-policed. But unlike at OSU, where tobacco use is off-limits in parking areas, Bowling Green permits tobacco use in certain parking lots.

"We got a little bit of pushback," said Jill Carr, vice president of student affairs at Bowling Green. "There are those people who really believe it's their constitutional right to smoke a cigarette, which is really not the case."

http://www.dispatch.com/conten.....egins.html

[Jordan]

Holy shit.

[The Tone Police]

Oh the hits keep coming with her:

Jill Carr on limiting free speech:

DePasquale tried to do something about the signs in August, but Jill Carr, vice president of Student Affairs, said the office has been trying to do something about them for years.

"[It's] something we've worked on consistently over the years because it certainly does not present a positive image of the community or University," Carr said.

Student Affairs has worked with the city on stopping the signs and has made progress, as Carr said the signs used to be bigger until the city passed a size ordinance.
* * *
"My big hope is that we can come together ? [Student Affairs] has been kind of the lone ranger on this for many years," Carr said. "There's a fine line between free speech and a hostile environment, verbal abuse ? or however you look at it."
* * *
Carr said Student Affairs is working with the city to try to get landlords to put language in the lease prohibiting the signs.

http://www.bgnews.com/campus/s.....963f4.html

[See Double You]

It's a fine line, and they get to determine when others cross it.

[See Double You]

It's a fine line, and they get to determine when others cross it.

[See Double You]

And the squirrelz crossed the line with my post, the little fuckers.

[Los Doyers]

nope, the uc system is just as bad. although they're lacking in the rhetoric.

[Hugh Akston]

Out of all the turds in my bed, this one is the worst.

[Pope Jimbo]

Funny you bring that up. Are nicotine anal suppositories (http://www.iamlost.com/features/nicolaxx/) also banned?

If so, I can only hope that they video tape the attempts to enforce the ban on them via spot checks.

[Pro Libertate]

Someday, in a fit of irrationality unique to Columbus, OSU will change its name to The University. This will spark litigation with the University of Miami. Then, after a few years of hearings and discovery, Miami University will sue both schools. Eventually, matters will be settled by terrorists from Ohio University, who, in a shocking turn of events, will take over all of the other schools.

[Warty]

And after THE University is weakened from overextending itself, it will be conquered by Oberlin partisans and replaced by student soviets.

[Doghouse Reilly]

Oberlin partizans may be the foot soldiers, but it'll be the true believers from Antioch that end up running the show.

[Pro Libertate]

Which will be based strictly on a communal economy, with political authority rotated fortnightly among tenured professors who survive the purge.

[Rhywun]

I had no idea college campuses were doing this. I would not have been able to attend my college if that were the case - "off-campus" was at least a mile in every direction from any class.

What I want to know is - why are students putting up with any of this? We certainly would not have in my day... all of 20 years ago.

[MegaloMonocle]

See how libertarian those millenials are?

Their flaccidity in the face of smoking bans is a little puzzling, since they could fit freedom to smoke cigarettes into their rather short list of libertine priorities. But, smoking cigs isn't cool and popular any more, so I guess not.

Millenials: Libertarian as fuck when it comes to cool and popular partying. Other than that, not so much.

[Pope Jimbo]

In high school (early 80's) one of the old codgers I worked with after school told me that when he and other GI's were going to college after WWII most of the universities had no smoking policies (because gentleman didn't smoke heaters or something) but when they school nannies tried to enforce it the ex-GI's told them to go take flying fuck.

When I was in school about the only rule that my dorm had was no kegs (you could drink cans and bottles all you wanted if you were of age). Needless to say we had kegs every weekend and were outraged when the ban was enforced.

[mr simple]

In my experience they just ignore it.

[briannnnn]

The best thing is that this college is the most debauched disgusting example of why parents shouldn't send there kids away unsupervised, but the first thing the school tries to tackle is public smoking...

[The Tone Police]

OU's reputation for debauchery is undeserved. Those kids are pikers.

[briannnnn]

I'm sitting across from a totally debauched disgusting OU grad right now. GOD I HATE YOU PATRICK!!!

[Los Doyers]

Just...put him out of his self-inflicted misery, quick and painless.

[boomslang4]

+1 UW-Madison

[Doghouse Reilly]

Of course it's not a police state. It's being replaced by the naggier, nudgier, infinitely-more-annoying "Mommy State." Same rhetoric, same consequences for failing to disobey, now with 66% more eye-gougingly frustrating "guidance." Because Mommy knows best.

[Suthenboy]

All hail Nannytopia!

[MegaloMonocle]

Their jackboots have high heels, so its all good, I guess.

[Pope Jimbo]

Now it is 1984
Knock-knock at your front door
It's the suede/denim secret police
They have come for your uncool niece

[Knarf Yenrab!]

What would become of the world if public property was utilized by the public as though it were its own property?

[Suthenboy]

Office of Community Standards? Standards no doubt approved by the Ministry of Truth.

[MegaloMonocle]

Here's a hint:

If it comes out of the Office of Community Standards, its not a community standard. Those don't need an Office to create and enforce them.

[MegaloMonocle]

The fun will really begin at this ostentatiously no-smoking campuses when pot is legalized.

Cigarettes - icky and uncool, so prohibiting them is OK!

Pot - hip and fun, so prohibiting it is bad!

I have no doubt that a majority of our Best and Brightest will land exactly there.

[NotAnotherSkippy]

No pressure.

[Robert]

But vaping is a smoking cessation program! What are they going to have, vaping cessation programs?

[Nana Biscotti]

I attend a large, public University on the East Coast. Smoke-free campus; however, the ban doesn't employee to unionized campus staff (or so I'm told). So the ban only applies to students. Obviously, I refuse to comply. When the campus cops drive by, they might tell you to stop, but usually they just keep going.

However, if you are a repeat offender, you get cited and have to plead your case to the student judiciary body, who then force some nonsense reeducation on you.