Spring Break
Staff Editorial: To many butts seen throughout campus
Issue date: 5/19/09 Section: Opinions
Layers of clothing are beginning to shed. Trees and flowers are beginning to bloom and blossom. The campus is full of vibrant living colors as students and teachers start to notice the beauty that is Eastern Illinois University. All is great as we head into another summer session at college.
The beauty of the landscape begins to fade as you get closer to the buildings. Once closer to these buildings, it is easy to see where the mulch and full grass that once was, but instead the ground is littered with cigarette butts of all flavors that act as speckled eyesores to the ground below.
Does the college think that they are deterring people from smoking by not having proper wastebaskets for cigarettes at every door?
As smokers walk to class and finish their cancer sticks, they casually flick them aside. One smoker turns into many, and soon we begin to see a landscape filled with white cotton and paper.
It is easy to put this disgusting sight on each individual that contributes to the ongoing build up of butts, but we believe this is a small part of the big picture at hand.
It is said that one out of every three adults is a cigarette smoker. Of these smokers it is said that every 10 seconds another one dies. By now nearly every American is aware of the harmful effects cigarettes have on the body, but still people continue to smoke.
Maybe smokers carry the same regard for their bodies as they do for their environment; when it dies, it dies? This is hardly a case to argue. Smoking is an addiction, but to put a blame on smokers simply because there aren't enough cigarette butt receptacles doesn't seem fair.
This littering dilemma is a fairly easy and a cheap fix. Eastern could simply install proper disposal outlets for a majority, if not all, the doors surrounding the buildings lacking proper cigarette wastes. These glorified standing ashtrays costs range from $40 to nearly $300.
This small task would help keep the campus clean, as well as help the landscapers that must go through and pick up each and every tar filled cotton swab.
We as students should take pride in our campus and its surroundings. To put the blame on just the smokers gains nothing except self-pride. So the next time you take a drag or see someone flick his or her butt ask yourself just how smoking has affected you.
The editorial is the majority opinion of The DEN editorial board. Reach the opinions editor at: DENopinions@gmail.com.
The beauty of the landscape begins to fade as you get closer to the buildings. Once closer to these buildings, it is easy to see where the mulch and full grass that once was, but instead the ground is littered with cigarette butts of all flavors that act as speckled eyesores to the ground below.
Does the college think that they are deterring people from smoking by not having proper wastebaskets for cigarettes at every door?
As smokers walk to class and finish their cancer sticks, they casually flick them aside. One smoker turns into many, and soon we begin to see a landscape filled with white cotton and paper.
It is easy to put this disgusting sight on each individual that contributes to the ongoing build up of butts, but we believe this is a small part of the big picture at hand.
It is said that one out of every three adults is a cigarette smoker. Of these smokers it is said that every 10 seconds another one dies. By now nearly every American is aware of the harmful effects cigarettes have on the body, but still people continue to smoke.
Maybe smokers carry the same regard for their bodies as they do for their environment; when it dies, it dies? This is hardly a case to argue. Smoking is an addiction, but to put a blame on smokers simply because there aren't enough cigarette butt receptacles doesn't seem fair.
This littering dilemma is a fairly easy and a cheap fix. Eastern could simply install proper disposal outlets for a majority, if not all, the doors surrounding the buildings lacking proper cigarette wastes. These glorified standing ashtrays costs range from $40 to nearly $300.
This small task would help keep the campus clean, as well as help the landscapers that must go through and pick up each and every tar filled cotton swab.
We as students should take pride in our campus and its surroundings. To put the blame on just the smokers gains nothing except self-pride. So the next time you take a drag or see someone flick his or her butt ask yourself just how smoking has affected you.
The editorial is the majority opinion of The DEN editorial board. Reach the opinions editor at: DENopinions@gmail.com.
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Viewing Comments 1 - 8 of 10
Rebecca
posted 5/18/09 @ 9:08 PM CST
I am a business owner. It is my responsibility to provide outdoor receptacles for those who choose to smoke and we keep them clean. It is one of the smaller tasks in our day. (Continued…)
Kelly
posted 5/18/09 @ 9:09 PM CST
To?
Rebecca
posted 5/18/09 @ 9:15 PM CST
I am a business owner. It is my pleasure to provide the proper receptacles for the deposition of cigarette butts. We clean them regularly. Smokers are very wonderful people who deserve the same respect as those who choose not to smoke. (Continued…)
A Smoker
posted 5/18/09 @ 9:17 PM CST
You may veil your editorial under the guise of not condemning smokers, but with words like cancer-sticks, every 10 seconds another one dies, disregard for their bodies AND for the environment, it's easy to see your viewpoint. (Continued…)
binky
posted 5/18/09 @ 9:55 PM CST
Anti smokers are the dummying down of America where it is now considered reasonable to provide trash receptacles but not butt receptacles go figure.. (Continued…)
Smoking Secretary
posted 5/19/09 @ 9:44 AM CST
If E.I.U. would return the receptacles I would gladly use them. If you look at the posted smoking areas on campus, several of them have not receptacle there. (Continued…)
Smoking Secretary
Smoking Secretary
posted 5/19/09 @ 10:13 AM CST
If E.I.U. would return the receptacles I would gladly use them. If you look at the posted smoking areas on campus, several of them have not receptacle there. (Continued…)
VIRGILK
posted 5/19/09 @ 3:44 PM CST
If they returned the receptacles they wouldn't have anything to bitch about. It just part of the effort to make smokers look bad.
Smoking in the US has dropped from 54% to less than 24%. (Continued…)
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