Some students lighting up despite smoking ban at DC, UOIT

Justin Stewart, 23, in the business fundamentals program stands outside Durham College's Gordon Willey Building to smoke. Photo credit: Madison Gulenchyn

Some people did not adhere to the new ban on smoking on the Durham College, UOIT campus. The Chronicle saw several students smoking early on Oct. 15, adjacent to the Student Services Building and in the bus loop outside of the Gordon Willey building.

The smoke-free campus policy went into effect after being announced Oct. 12.

The new policy was created to promote health and safety and applies to all members of the campus community, officials from both schools say.

The college and university made the decision to implement this policy before the the legalization of cannabis on Oct. 17.

A DC student smoker is Eric Linton, 19. He believes tobacco shouldn’t be banned because marijuana is being legalized.

“They shouldn’t have made the law [they way] it is. It’s kind of unfair to ban everything just because of that one thing,” Linton said.

The Office of Campus Safety is “not tracking” numbers of students in violation of the smoking ban policy, says Tom Lynch, director of the office.

The campus has some exceptions when it comes to this new policy. Traditional burnings of substances that form a part of Indigenous culture and heritage are allowed.

Individuals with prescriptions to smoke medical cannabis will also work with the campus for a solution. Individuals who wish to smoke must do so off-campus.

New ‘no smoking’ signs have been put up on campus and posters can be seen on the walls of the hallways. Outdoor campus ashtrays have also been removed in the wake of the new policy, yet some students are still smoking on the property.

Students like Sebastian Manczak, 23, of the pre-health sciences program, said he hasn’t heard a lot of the policy, and believes it should be publicized more.

“It came a little out of nowhere, right? There are tons of smokers here and there were tons of waste disposals [for cigarettes],” Manczak said. “I now have to do a little more cardio to get my smoke, so I guess it’s not a bad thing.”

DC and UOIT officials say the campus is currently in phase one of its smoking ban. This will last until Jan. 1 and will focus on awareness and educating the community about the new policy.

Phase two will begin on Jan. 1, will consist of issuing verbal and written warnings for those who fail to adhere to the ban on smoking.

The final and third phase includes issuing fines and initiating disciplinary actions, school officials say.