WSU became a tobacco-free campus on July 1, 2017, and what good has that really done for anyone?
Almost nine years of no smoking on campus, yet nearly everyone I know uses tobacco in some form or another. All banning tobacco on campus did was make it more inconvenient to get a little stress relief in the already incredibly stressful life of a college student. So, adding a few smoking areas might be to the benefit of students at Wichita State.
I’ve seen people stand on the edge of campus to smoke so they won’t be told to leave, but even then, things like vaping and nicotine pouches are still prevalent on campus — it’s just done inside a private room instead.
About one in four college students uses tobacco in some form or another, and this number is reportedly on the rise. According to a survey from the National Institutes of Health, more than half of college students think having designated smoking areas on campuses is beneficial.
Putting smoking areas on campus would benefit many students. It would reduce the number of students who use tobacco indoors, would allow people on campus to destress without going out of their way and it might be a good opportunity for students to socialize and make friends.
Many places on campus could house smoking areas, like behind Elliott Hall, the open area beside McKnight or Duerksen, near Grace Wilkie Hall, or in one of the areas between the Rhatigan Student Center and Morrison Hall.
Some might argue there’s no need to allow tobacco on campus because it’s a harmful substance. However, having a cigarette every now and then isn’t the end of the world — it even has the potential to stop the world from feeling like it’s ending.
As someone who smokes, I agree smoking does more harm than good, but that hasn’t stopped people from doing it, and it never will.
If anything, making students leave campus to have some tobacco also causes more harm than good. It takes away precious time that could’ve been spent studying, since students have to make a trip off campus for a sweet hit between classes.
We could potentially be studying while we sit outside having a smoke. I’m sure campus authorities would love to see more people sitting on the lawns of campus, just like in the movies. Outside is such an underutilized space these days. Give the people a reason to sit in the sun and enjoy the weather; I bet being able to have a smoke break on campus would be enticing to many students.
People today are so isolated, and it can be really hard to make conversation with strangers, but one place I’ve observed people come out of their shells is in a smoking area. I mean, what else is there to do when you’re sitting outside, enjoying the weather, than talking to the person next to you?
Creating a community on campus has been a goal of Wichita State’s, and I think making a space for all the smokers on campus to gather is a step in the right direction.
It’s not encouraging harmful behavior — it’s allowing people to do what they were going to do anyway, but in a place that’s familiar to them, potentially with people that are familiar to them.
We’ll still be out of the way of everyone who is bothered by the smell, and we’ll be able to stay close to our studies. So, what’s the harm in putting a few smoking areas on the WSU campus?
Smoking Wu • Apr 1, 2026 at 7:59 pm
This is exactly the kind of take people don’t want to engage with. Everyone’s fine talking about smoking when it’s framed as a health issue, but the second it becomes about personal choice, suddenly it gets uncomfortable.
At the end of the day, adults making decisions about their own bodies shouldn’t be treated like a problem that needs to be managed out of existence. You don’t have to like smoking to recognize that pushing it further and further out of public life starts to feel less like public health and more like control.
bojack horseman • Mar 27, 2026 at 1:11 pm
the “harm” is that secondhand smoke can travel for 20 feet in each direction, which you would know if you did any research to the counter point at all. where do you propose this 40 foot smoking area be placed on campus? at that point, you may as well walk to the edge of the (very small) campus and smoke. it’s insane that there is no research in this other than, of course, the amount of people that smoke. the “community” point is so ridiculous i cannot even fathom how this was published. not to mention that cigarettes “arent the end of the world.” is The Sunflower satire now? why are opinion pieces with no forethought getting published?