sign posted outside the door of The Johnson Center, a campus hub for students and faculty alike
While walking around George Mason University’s campus, one is hard-pressed to find a spot without a smoker nearby. Despite Mason’s encouragement of smoking cessation and various signs posted on campus deterring people from smoking near buildings, many non-smokers still run into problems with avoiding secondhand smoke.
“I really don’t like it when people are blowing smoke right in my face. For example, I just walked out of the JC, and it happened. I want fresh air, not fresh smoke” said junior Jose Candia, while unlocking his bike from a rack outside.
According to an initiative by the Tobacco Policy Task Force on campus in June of 2003, all entrances to buildings should have a 25 foot radius of smoke-free environment. The task force even handed out thank you cards to smokers who complied with the new rule.
However, it seems that enforcement of the 25 foot rule has fallen out of importance since then.
“I’m not going to tell anyone what to do, but I would like smokers to be a little more conscious about where their smoke is going” Candia said.