Correction:  In a previous version of this article, Cliff Douglas’ name was misspelled. The Daily Orange regrets this error.

Participants in Thursday’s Campbell Debate discussed whether or not smoking should be allowed on the Syracuse University campus.

The debate was held in Heroy Auditorium at 7:00 p.m. Duane Ford, former vice president of the Student Association, and Cliff Douglas, the executive director of the University of Michigan’s Tobacco Research Network argued in support of a theoretical proposition banning tobacco use on campus.  Former SA president Alexandra Curtis and New York State Senator John DeFrancisco argued against the ban.

Audience members were also asked their opinions as they entered the debate.  Initially, a tobacco ban was supported 16 to 14.

The university’s Campus Sustainability Committee formed a task force last September to explore the option of establishing SU as a tobacco-free campus after a student survey revealed that many oppose smoking.

While both sides agreed on the unhealthy effects of tobacco use, the opposing side focused on personal choices and the practicality of enforcing anti-tobacco rules on campus.

The debate, which was moderated by Grant Reeher, began with opening statements from each side.

“A proposed tobacco free campus for SU is completely consistent with its ethical and integral mission to achieve this safe and healthy environment that will not compromise a positive living, learning and working experience,” said Ford, echoing the university’s policy on ethics and integrity.

Ford and Douglas focused on the health risks of tobacco use, second-hand smoke and littering.  Douglas mentioned that universities such as the University of Michigan, the University of South Carolina and the University of California are all schools that outlaw tobacco.

Nationwide, 1,182 campuses are 100 percent smoke free, Douglas said.  He later added that while second-hand smoke is a factor, the purpose of a ban on tobacco use is to promote “a culture of health among our community.”

Curtis, quoting a Colleges for Change survey, said that a majority of students did not feel second-hand smoke effected them.

“It has been successful at some schools,” she said, “but here at Syracuse I think we have a bit of a different culture that prohibits us from wanting to adopt this kind of policy in its full.”

Curtis noted that international students at SU might have a different view of smoking than domestic students.

Following Curtis, Senator DeFrancisco doubted the effects of second-hand smoke in large, open areas.  DeFrancisco, an SU alum, supported the New York State Clean Indoor Air Act, which made most public places smoke-free. He warned that if the school started outlawing tobacco use, other restrictions may follow.

“It’s a slippery slope that you start when you start banning things,” DeFrancisco said. “Is the ban necessary in order to deprive people of their personal liberty?”

A large part of the debate focused on how such a ban would be enforced.  Curtis said that the school lacks the manpower to prevent people from smoking on campus.  Arguing for the other side, Douglas said that the policies would become self-enforcing, as people tend to follow such rules once they are in place.

DeFrancisco and Curtis offered alternatives to outright ban, such as fines for leaving cigarette butts and having designated smoking areas.  Ford and Douglas argued that such practices were sometimes unsuccessful.

When the debate was opened to public questions, many in the audience expressed concern that hospital workers from the Veterans Affairs hospital and Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital come to the campus to smoke, as it is banned on hospital grounds.

“The people of this campus would prefer to be free to do what they choose to do as long as its not going to materially effect someone else,” DeFrancisco said.

Quoting Curtis’ earlier argument, Ford said, “Syracuse is a progressive campus that serves as a leader in New York state, so why not continue this trend by becoming one of the only private institutions in New York state that is tobacco free?”

After the debate, the audience was asked their opinion again.  The final tally for those who supported outlawing tobacco products was 18 to 12.

Published on January 24, 2014 at 1:19 pm

Contact Zach: zdschwei@syr.edu