Continuing controversy over Nicholls’ smoking policy has brought University committees to the decision to make the entire campus a tobacco-free environment starting in January. The restrictions will not only ban smoking, but all forms of tobacco use.

The new policy has gone through the final approval stage by the University’s President’s Cabinet and President’s Executive Council and will take affect on Jan. 1, 2011.

The current policy, which allows students, faculty, staff and visitors to smoke at least 25 feet away from buildings, has drawn a number of complaints from students and faculty who say it is not being adhered to. The policy also forbids smoking on any sidewalk on campus in an effort to seclude it from areas of heavy foot traffic.

Eugene Dial, vice president of student affairs and enrollment services, said that if people did not follow the policy, then he expected Nicholls to become a non-smoking campus.

Dial said he received a number of e-mails from students in reference to the rules established for smokers.

“We were getting lots of complaints from people saying that the policy was not being followed,” Dial said. “We discussed how to get people to follow it.”

University officials sent out e-mails to students requesting that they comply with the current rules about smoking.

Dial said that after the e-mails were sent, he received additional complaints which led to further action being taken.

The new policy is over six months away from being implemented, but students have begun to voice their opinions.

Lynell Parfait, education graduate student from Thibodaux, said she respects people’s health by not smoking next to them.

“If I’m on the bench not bothering anyone, I should be able to smoke,” Parfait said. “If you can’t smoke at all, I would respect the rule, but I would light up as soon as I got in my car.”

Dionte Robinson, dietetics sophomore from Camden, Miss., said the policy will be hard to enforce because there are many smokers on campus.

Colleen Keller, education graduate student from Morgan City, said she is torn about the new rule because she smokes.

“I understand the non-smokers view though,” Keller said.

Joshua Kraemer, business junior from Thibodaux, said he can understand the reason for the smoking ban on sidewalks and doorways because they are areas where smokers and non-smokers congregate, but not for an outright ban.

“Of course I’m not a fan of it,” Kraemer said. “Guess I’ll have to start smoking before school.”

Amanda Jefferson, mass communication senior from Marrero, said the 25 feet rule was better than the entire campus becoming smoke free.

Students are not the only ones vocal about the issue; a number of faculty and staff are as well.

Dial said he was sent four e-mails from faculty members who were in favor of the change and six who said it was “ridiculous.”

Even with opposition to the tobacco-free policy, Dial said this is not just a Nicholls issue, but a nation-wide concern.

“About 350 universities around the country are going to non-smoking campuses,” Dial said.

Discussions continue about what actions will be taken for those who choose to defy the policy.

“About 95 percent of people will try to comply with the policy whether they agree with it or not,” Dial said. “We don’t want to become a police state. This is supposed to be a University where people think and share ideas.

Alyson Theriot, assistant professor of education, smokes Monday outside of Polk Hall. (Bridget Mire)