Health isn’t the only issue with smoking
Smoking at UVU raises concerns over littering.
Many UVU students have no problem with smoking on campus, however, some have voiced concerns over littering of cigarette butts and the fact that strewn cigarette butts make the campus look unpleasant.
“Littering and the smell of smoke are the two main issues [I have with it],” said Spencer Donaldson, business major. “I think, as a custodian, I tend to notice it more, especially the grounds outside. It’s definitely something of an issue.”
Non-smokers aren’t the only one to notice this trend at UVU. Many smokers and former smokers complain over the amount of butts on the ground.
“At the smoking spots they are scattered everywhere,” said former smoker Alex Armstrong. He also said he thinks there are plenty of ashtrays. The problem isn’t the number of them, rather the carelessness of some smokers. “I think it’s just people being lazy.”
UVU has an ashtray near almost every main entrance. but some smokers think that’s not enough and more can be done to help prevent the problem. “I think [ashtrays] help the problem, but there needs to be more of them,” said an anonymous smoker.
Some smokers believe that the university’s banned areas, like by the library’s air intake area, only exacerbate the problem rather than help fix it.
“They are getting more and more ridiculous,” said another anonymous smoker.
Non-smokers tend to disagree with smokers on this topic. “There are places where [students] can go and smoke,” Donaldson said.
Despite the divide on banned areas and regulations at UVU, smokers said that for the most part they are not treated any differently by their non-smoking peers, and most seem to agree that although some students avoid smoking areas, they are not bothered by it.