EDITORIAL: Nicotine fit not an emergency
Has anyone seen those flashy new signs that are posted on all of the doors to the quad, and most of the other outside doors? You know the ones—they are white with purple lettering that say "Emergency Exit Only-To conserve Energy these doors will be closed until spring."
Now, let’s look carefully at this. Emergency Exit Only. Doesn’t that mean that unless the building is burning down or there are noxious fumes coming from somewhere that those doors are not to be opened?
A nicotine fit does not constitute an emergency. Sorry. Those doors are kept closed for a reason. Tax payers pay money to keep us warm during the winter and it’s not fair to them to jack up our heating bills just because people who smoke are too lazy to either walk to the cafeteria to use the smoking area there, or go to the side door out front to light one up.
The doors are locked from the inside for a reason. When the smokers decide that they have to have a cigarette, they walk out the door and prop it open so they can get back in. Then they stand right there, probably trying to keep warm from all of the heat that’s escaping and proceed to smoke their fag. Now, with the door propped open, not only is the heat escaping, but all of the noxious, smelly fumes from that cigarette come right back in the door and pollute the hallways.
This is a non-smoking campus for a reason. Second-hand smoke is dangerous and has been proven so. All of you smokers out there that are reading this and getting mad, maybe should start walking to those designated smoking areas.
The walk would probably do you some good.
The Apache March 15, 1999