The College Fix

Isn’t this a great example of pointless, PR-driven policymaking today?

The Lantern reports that Ohio State University has yet to punish anyone for violating its smoking ban, imposed at the beginning of the year – not because people stopped smoking on campus, but because no one enforces it:

Though some students might be under the impression that those breaking the policy could face fines, the punishment isn’t enforced by University Police. OSU Human Resources and the Student Conduct Board handle that instead. …

[Peter Shields, deputy director of the Wexner Medical Center James Comprehensive Cancer Center,] said the committee that created the ban didn’t even think about a formal enforcement policy.

“It wasn’t even a discussion,“ Shields said. “When it comes up in a meeting, everyone looks at each other and says, ‘Yeah, no, let’s just move on.’” . [emphasis added]

Oh, and there’s not really a way to measure whether people are smoking less on campus:

Part of the plan for tracking effectiveness is a cigarette butt cleanup, where the university will compare numbers from last year. Shields said this might also prove inconclusive without multiple years of data. [emphasis added]

Obligatory man-on-the-street interview:

Some students, like Joe Cipollone, a first-year in accounting, said they have not felt the full effect of the ban.

“I’m gonna be honest, I’ve smoked on the campus and I never had anyone tell me to not smoke,” Cipollone said. “I’ve never had anyone actually enforce it.”

In contrast, Tulane University gives violators a $25 fine, The Lantern says.

Read the full story here.

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