As I was walking across the Drill Field last week, I saw something that was truly aggravating. A fellow student, after taking the last puff from his cigarette, cast it into the nearby grass and continued his leisurely walk to class.
I find it hard to believe that someone who can deck themselves out in maroon and white, full of Mississippi State pride, can have so little respect for his school. He may not see it that way, but that’s exactly what it is-disrespect.
Obviously, I cannot say he is the only person guilty of showing such disrespect; every day I see people do the same thing, and every day it becomes increasingly more disturbing.
Countless hours of time and effort go into the beautification of our campus. I don’t know if I can think of one day when I didn’t hear the sound of mowers and trimmers manicuring the grass and flowerbeds, except during thunderstorms. I don’t know if anyone else has noticed, but it seems like flowers don’t even have a fair chance to sink their roots into the soil before new ones replace them.
The dedication to improving the aesthetic quality of the campus is rather astounding, but the dedication is continuously hindered by people who seem to have no consideration for their surroundings. Our campus has proper receptacles for smoked cigarettes; if for some reason you can’t seem to find one, the least you could do is hold on to it until you find a garbage can.
Let’s stop defacing our gorgeous campus and try to contribute a little more to its good condition.
Those of you who feel like you should be able to put your cigarette out wherever you’d like because you empty your bank account each semester to pay tuition must remember there are plenty of us who pay the same amount; we’d rather not see the sidewalks littered with others’ trash.
In fact, I’d prefer not to have to walk among the smokers on my way to class. I don’t quite enjoy being surrounded by the clouds of smoke that emerge from the people walking ahead of me. This too, is a sign of disrespect.
There’s no need for me to harp on the ills of smoking (if you haven’t learned that cigarettes are bad by now, then tobacco isn’t likely to be your greatest health risk), but I think that smokers need to take into consideration the damage they’re doing to those around them. Defiling your own body is your decision, but the health of those you pass on campus every day should not be in your hands.
I don’t know if there’s a logical solution to this problem. Ideally, Mississippi State could become a tobacco-free campus. Anyone who finds it necessary to have a smoke on the way to class could be punished by law. Realistically, this will never happen, not if students continue to pay tuition and the university hopes to keep positions filled.
“Free-Smoking” zones could be established, similar to the “free speech” zone we heard about last semester. Smoking on campus could take place only in certain areas, within a certain distance from an outdoor ashtray. Anyone who didn’t adhere to these rules would face a fine.
Of course, this solution isn’t very likely either, considering it would be difficult to set up areas away from the non-smokers yet still convenient for smokers. Also, walking by the higher concentration of smoke would probably be more detrimental than occasionally passing someone who’s smoking.
I don’t know if any action can be taken by officials that would effectively control the problem, but I do know smokers can single-handedly reduce the severity of the issue by having a little more respect for the campus and for other students.
So, next time you’re smoking on your way to class, try to practice a few things. Hold your cigarette low so the smoke doesn’t snake its way into the nostrils of passers-by; don’t blow your smoke in the direction of others (try to remember those behind you); and when you’re finished smoking, do away with the butt properly.
If you want to show true pride in your school, you don’t have to be painted maroon and white; all you have to do is have a little respect for the campus you walk on and the people you share it with.