Extinguishing the smoke

Starting June 30, the bookstore at Virginia Wesleyan will no longer sell any tobacco products. The decision was made by members of the administrative, medical and business offices of the college.

“Mary (Giffhorn Cureton) and I were talking about the idea last year at the Great American Smoke-out and we both thought that it was an issue that needed to be addressed,” said Bruce Vaughan, director of business operations. “Any type of tobacco is obviously hazardous to your health, so we decided to talk about it with Dean Buckingham and President Greer and they were both in favor of ceasing to sell tobacco on campus. This decision was a long-term one.”

Director of Health Services Mary Giffhorn Cureton, R.N. believes that it is also high risk for all students.

“Smoking leads to all kinds of things: heart disease, cardiovascular problems as well as all kinds of cancer ranging from throat, pancreas, stomach, gum, the list goes on and on,” said Cureton. “I remember when Keith Moore first made Village I smoke-free, and than gradually made all of the residence halls smoke-free. It was a slow process but he made it work.”

A study from Boston University concluded that 55-60,000 people die per year due to second hand smoke.

“It’s not just the people who smoke, it’s also anyone who has a slight case of asthma or any chronic illness,” Cureton said

Financially, the school predicts to take a small hit, but nothing damaging in the long run.

“We usually average about $8-$10,000 per year on tobacco products from the school bookstore,” said Vaughan. “It is an economical set back, but for the sake of the students’ health it will be worth it. Even though this decision will have positive and negative effects, we will be consistent with the message that we are concerned with the students’ and faculty’s health.”

On a psychological level, tobacco addiction is something that is acquired socially.

“Tobacco use can be seen as a social necessity, but more so as a ritual thing,” said Cureton. “Not to be stereotypical, but baseball players chew a lot of tobacco. A lot of people like to smoke when they drink. Also when trying to fit, people smoke. When new freshmen come here, they don’t know anyone, they look outside and see people smoking and then they start smoking themselves just to meet people.”

As for the rumor that the school will ban smoking altogether; no they won’t. If people want to smoke, they’re going to smoke.

“Smoking outside buildings will still be permissible,” said Vaughan. “That really is an unforcable rule to the students as well as faculty.”

Even though Wesleyan campus will still have smokers around buildings, some places don’t even allow that.

“I know that there are some places out there that have the 50 ft rule,” said Cureton. “That means that smokers have to go 50 ft away from any entrance of a building because before that, people who were at risk that didn’t smoke would still walk by them to go in and out.”

Smoke ‘em if ya got ‘em (or chew it if that’s your thing) before the tobacco is off the shelves at the bookstore at VWC (I refer to it that way because the store is not actually owned by the school).

“One theory is that by making it more difficult to permit smoking or chewing tobacco, people usually quit because they find it too troubling to go out of their way to do it,” said Cureton.