CUNY Up in Smoke

A ban on smoking on campus--what students think. by Adam Reyes.Last week Rachael Rodriguez smoked a cigarette on the CCNY campus, knowing she wouldn't have this luxury much longer. "It's a shame that CUNY had to ban smoking on their campuses, but I'm going to take advantage of the time I have left," says Rodriguez.But Rodriguez isn't the only one who will be affected.Last month, university trustees voted to prohibit smoking on all CUNY campuses in New York City, and the ban will go into effect in September 2012. Students at City College are having mixed emotions about this ban.Some feel that this ban is a terrible decision. "I think the ban is dumb; it's not going to encourage anyone to quit, if that's CUNY's goal," says 20-year-old sophomore Jessica Espnial.Other students believe the ban unfairly targets people who smoke.  " I don't know what exactly the college's aim is," says 21-year-old senior Lola Daniels. "If they are trying to promote healthy lifestyles for students they could do it in other ways that are not so intrusive to certain students' lifestyles."Others believe that the ban is a good thing given the dangers of smoking and second-hand smoke.  "I feel good about the smoking ban," says 22-year-old senior Usman Khalid. "I don't smoke and all that tobacco is annoying."While students don't all agree on the ban, some simply don't care.  Says 20- year- old sophomore Steven Millan:  "People can do whatever they want. As long as it doesn't concern me then I could care less."