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Opinion
 

Staff Editorial

                            Matt Dulin                             Tony Hernandez 
                Jim Parsons             Dusti Rhodes           Blake Whitaker

U. Cincinnati Student Government gets it right

The University of Cincinnati has recently become wrapped up in the controversy surrounding smokers' rights, the same issue that became a hot topic here in the fall. UC, however, is considering taking it much further than our student legislators and the administration did when they banned smoking from a certain distances around building entrances. 

The idea under consideration in Cincinnati is a campuswide smoking ban. The Student Government there voted Wednesday to put the issue up to a student vote in April.

The idea of a campuswide smoking ban is foolish at best. A health-conscious university should be able to reach some sort of agreement on limitations if it wishes to curtail the area in which smoking is allowed. The ban here seemed like a good example of how that might work, although it was never really clear that it was in effect in the first place given the lack of any party willing and able to enforce the rule.

Trying to keep an entire university of students, faculty and staff -- in Cincinnati's case, the student population alone is around 35,000 -- from lighting up on campus is not only paternalistic and insulting, it's a logistical nightmare for everyone involved, from the students who'll have to cross the street to take a smoke break to the unlucky souls who get stuck enforcing the rule.

The positive side of the story, however, is the democratic attitude of UC's Student Government. Putting such a touchy subject up to the students is the best way reach a fair decision, assuming the administration is willing to comply with what they decide. 

In matters of importance, it would be nice if our student legislators and administration would allow UH students to make decisions that affect them. Often, it's hard enough not to feel like you're being crushed under the wheels of bureaucracy and administrative power when attending a large university; this is an ideal way to help students feel like they have a voice in their institution.