The University of Michigan announced Tuesday that starting next fall, smoking will be banned in all university residence halls.
Officials say the reason for the ban is to enhance overall public health and to prevent students from beginning to smoke after arriving on campus.
U-M is one of several Big Ten universities who ban smoking in dorms and Lansing Community College banned smoking on its campus last year. MSU still has smoking rooms designated in residence halls.
Fred Kayne, associate director for university housing, said MSU allows students in the halls to decide, by recommendation of the student government leaders, which halls should be designated as smoking and non-smoking.
"For a number of years, we've had recommendations," he said. 'The Residence Halls Association and the student government are responsible for all the residence halls, but the housing options committee has final say."
Some say a smoking ban at MSU sounds like a good idea, but may not be effective.
"I don't think it's going to work," said pre-med freshman Anna Sorensen. "I can see the health thing. Smoke does filter into other rooms, but this will just be something else for students to get in trouble for."
She said some thought should be given to the fact that residence halls are the students' homes.
"You do have a community and everyone has to give a little," she said.
Jasmine Greenamyer, health educator at Olin Health Center, said banning smoking in residence halls is beneficial for non-smokers, because second-hand smoke is a big issue, "especially if they have allergies or asthma," she said.
"From a health education stand point, I am absolutely for it," she said. "From a personal rights perspective, that is harder to answer. But when you take into consideration that only 20 percent of MSU students report habitual smoking, it seems like we could move toward a smoking ban."
Although Greenamyer thinks it is a good idea to ban smoking, she says it may be unrealistic.
"It's an over-arching goal, " she said. "Three-fourths of smokers start when they're in their teens, but one-third report that they started smoking in college."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
