The facts: Student Senate is introducing a bill that would ban smoking on campus, transitioning N.C . State to a 100 percent tobacco-free school by 2014.

Our opinion: The Student Senate should not be concerned about a new policy, but rather enforce the current one—allowing both sides to win.

The Smoking Policy Reformation Act aims to transition the University into the UNC-system’s first 100 percent tobacco-free campus. This bill is under review by the Student Senate; however, it should not go any further than that.

If passed, “By fall 2012, smoking should be prohibited campus-wide except in designated, low-traffic areas, and by fall 2013, these designated areas will be reduced from 25 to 50 percent to ease transition to a 100 percent smoke-free campus.”

This bill attempts to reduce the number of students and faculty on campus exposed to secondhand smoke; however, it should not come at the cost of civil liberties.

The primary reason for this attempted action is the annoyance factor secondhand smoke has on those not smoking—it stinks, it sometimes makes it hard to breathe and merely creates a feeling of displeasure. Now if smokers would follow the current policy and only light up in designated areas, non-smokers could avoid these places; however, when you’re walking down the tunnel behind someone smoking you can’t help but be followed by the cloud of smoke until you reach the end.

This type of atmosphere creates the hostility towards smokers, and thus the creation of this bill.

When considering this bill, senators should understand the current policy we have would suffice, if only it were enforced. Smokers are not to be within 25 linear feet of a University building, a University and State policy. Taking into consideration this link, senators could adapt the bill to merely confine the areas of smoking with these 25-feet markers and have designated areas for smoking.

By doing this, they could allow smokers to smoke, without the annoyance to walking students. This would allow a win for both sides of this debate. However, the mere idea of Student Senate attempting to stick their noses where they don’t belong by treating adults like high schoolers when it comes to a perfectly legal habit, is crossing a line—like the real government.

This type of behavior does not directly impact one’s health, if dealt with correctly, which is allowing smokers to smoke in designated low-traffic places. This thought should be considered when trying to create a University-wide ban on a legal habit.