(U-WIRE) MUNCIE, Ind. – Ball State University has told smokers to butt out of entrances to all buildings on campus, but this really does little to curb the overall problem nonsmokers face.

The smoking policy – which prohibits smoking within 30 feet of any building entrance, air intake or operable window – is a move in the right direction, but there’s still plenty more the university could be doing.

The current solution only moves the smoke further away from the buildings.

So, instead of having a cloud of smoke hover at the doors where nonsmoking students, faculty and staff have to pass through it, the cloud has simply been moved a little farther away.

Granted, there is the chance that there will be more breeze and air circulation away from the buildings, but the smell and, most likely, the smoke itself will just hover above wherever the displaced smokers will now stand.

That same student, faculty or staff member who complained about walking through a cloud at the doors has really not gained much of anything as a result of this ordinance.

So, what’s the solution?

“Smoking gazebos” could be constructed at the edge of the smoke free zones. These structures would make the ordinance more convenient for smokers, as well as contain the smoke to relieve passersby from inhaling it secondhand.

The university is planning to build such structures, but there is no timeline for their placement.

Until they are built, there is no sure-fire way for those who don’t smoke and don’t want to smell like smoke to avoid the source.

Some policies and plans work best when phased into the system, but this is an example of a policy that could have been implemented better if all corners were covered from the start – a quickly executed, comprehensive policy would make the changes easier to notice and would make a more dramatic difference on campus, for nonsmokers and smokers alike.

If students who would rather not walk through smoke voice their concerns, perhaps the “smoking gazebos” will be built quicker.

Until then, the problem of having to walk through smoke on your way to class or wherever you may be going won’t be completely solved.

Staff Editorial

Daily News (Ball State U.)