The Solution: Further Regulation Through Designated Smoking Areas
There are many solutions to the problem, with the most direct being a permanent ban of smoking tobaccos on campus. However, a full blown banishment of the deed may not be the correct move for the university to make. With many students and faculty who currently smoke on campus, it may be unfair and not feasible to completely regulate the drug. Due to this, I am proposing that there be specific designated areas where smokers can partake in smoking throughout the day if they chose to. In correspondence, the designated zones must be located in an area that is well secluded from the general public on campus, and sufficiently ventilated to provide a safe atmosphere for the smokers. There are many unused patches of land on campus that can be used to generate several convenient places where these designated smoking areas can be placed. For example, there is a large plot of empty space in proximity to the parking lot located to the right of Paterno Library. Another important stipulation to building these zones is to have proper enforcement, so students and faculty follow the policy of only smoking in those areas. The overall cost of proceeding with building designated smoking zones would lie within the money to plan, build, and enforce the new areas. The price to construct such an area is relatively moderate, and can accomplished as cheaply as several thousand dollars. If extra enforcement is needed to regulate the designated smoking areas, additional police officers may also be required, which would incur the university to employ several more individuals to their payroll. With the university's yearly profit grossing over one billion dollars, the costs of improving the welfare of nearly all students is basically insignificant in comparison to the total revenue that the institution earns. Moreover, I believe the benefits of a nonsmoking environment is incredible, and will allow nonsmokers to successfully avoid contact with the harmful ETS emitted from smoking tobaccos in their daily commutes. More stringent regulations of smoking tobaccos at Penn State University are undoubtedly required to further provide a safe and healthy environment for students and faculty members alike.
The green areas on the map are undeveloped, along with many unmarked locations on the map that are beige colored.