• Ball State has issued 11 smoking citations.
• The cold has attributed to at least one student’s disregard of the ban.
• Gene Burton, director of public safety and University Police Department chief of police, said he expects traffic complaints on Petty Avenue to pick up when the weather turns warm again.
With cold weather, more students are opting to ignore the on-campus smoking ban instead of braving the cold and snow to get off campus.
Officials have issued total of 11 smoking citations since the ban was put in place in August, according to the Office of Students Affairs. During the warmer weather up until October, the university had issued two warnings, but no citations.
During the warmer months, Gene Burton, director of public safety and University Police Department chief of police, said he received several complaints of students loitering and littering on Petty Road, which is west of campus. There also were complaints of students cutting through people’s yards and standing in the street just off campus.
Burton said these complaints have decreased during the colder months, but would probably pick up again once the weather warms up.
Sulemaan Alsheheree, a freshman education major, said he didn’t agree with the rule in the first place and this winter’s extreme cold has led him to ignore the ban outright.
When he first came to Muncie, he was unaware of the ban until he was told to stop when smoking on campus. Alsheheree said he thought the person was kidding at first.
Even after he found out about the rule, Alsheheree continued to smoke on campus. He said he has smoked in his dorm room several times and occasionally behind buildings on campus.
“It’s so cold,” Alsheheree said. “You can’t go outside to go to school, let alone to smoke.”
He also has struggled finding time to smoke during his 10-minute break between classes.
The ban is an adjustment for Alsheheree, who said he used to smoke often.
“When I studied, I smoked,” he said. “All of the time, I smoked. When I walked, I smoked. When I listened to music, I smoked. When I had a break, I could go outside and smoke.”
Alsheheree said he understands that the ban benefits some people who don’t want to smell smoke or face health effects from second-hand smoke, but still thinks the ban is “crazy.”
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