LACKAWANNA COUNTY -- Starting tomorrow, a university in our area will have a stepped up tobacco policy, a first for college campuses in Lackawanna County.
Marywood University's campus in Lackawanna County is quiet this time of year. When all the students return for the fall semester they'll find stickers on campus doors and windows, put there to send a strong message.
"I think it is going to bother other people, anyway. No matter what you do, it's going to bother someone," said student Seamus O'Reilly.
Come July 1, Marywood will be a completely tobacco-free campus. O'Reilly is an international student from Ireland, a place where they've had smoking bans much longer than we have.
"If you want to smoke, that's fine. But bear in mind that you're hurting other people when you do it. So, you know, do it in your own home or your own space," he said.
What makes the new smoking policy at Marywood different is the ban on all kinds of tobacco products on all areas of the campus. Total smoking bans on college campuses are getting more and more common in the United States.
"If you're going to college, you're going to better your future and make yourself a better person, so smoking kind of does the opposite of that. So, why would you have smoking on campus anyways?" said Emily Laslo of York.
A group of students were visiting Marywood Tuesday from a camp at Misericordia University in Luzerne County. Misericordia is like most schools in our area, only banning tobacco from inside or near campus buildings.
Marywood officials told Newswatch 16 students and staff will get verbal warnings first if they violate the new policy. Any further punishment would match that of any other school rule.
The students Newswatch 16 spoke to don't see it as a rule that will be tough to follow. At a place geared toward young people, we found it tough to find anyone opposed to the tobacco ban. Let alone, a smoker.
"I think the country as a whole, we`re all going towards that kind of end of it, just because of the health risks," Laslo added.