Two campuses, two rules: How UNB and STU handle smoking
On College Hill in Fredericton, two universities share the same view and the same winters, but not the same rules on smoking.
The University of New Brunswick (UNB) banned smoking everywhere on its campus in September 2022, while St. Thomas University (STU) took a different approach, allowing smoking only in marked areas.
When UNB announced plans to go smoke-free, STU had to decide whether to follow the same path or make their own stand. The university had first heard about UNB's plans in 2018, but the pandemic delayed any decisions.
STU eventually chose to keep its smoking areas. Jeffrey Carleton, senior advisor to the President of STU, said the university was concerned that a full ban would simply push smokers somewhere else.
“One of the things that we didn’t want was the smokers to migrate to the top of College Hill,” he said.
Jihee Kang, an international student at STU, said she has noticed students smoking in places that are not designated for smoking and “UNB students smoking in the parking lot in front of the library several times.”
At STU, Kang said she usually goes to the area between James Dunn Hall (JDH) and the Vineyard Room, partly because it is close to her and she often meets friends there.
She said she follows the rules but has never witnessed anyone facing consequences for smoking outside the designated areas.
The university now has three smoking spots, each one close to the residences.
For Bronwyn Haig, a STU student, they are part of her everyday routine. She prefers the area near Holy Cross because it has trees and is away from other busy spots, like the JDH spot.
She raises an important point, “people are gonna smoke either way, having the designated sections, maybe preventing people from smoking inside or smoking where they shouldn't.”
UNB, even though, prefers taking a stricter approach. Its policy, which took effect in January 2021, with the outdoor ban following on Sept. 1, 2022, covers outdoor spaces, parking lots and roadways, with vaping included in the list.
The university says the goal is to protect the health and well-being of its community.
The two universities also handle rule-breaking differently.
At UNB, Campus Security & Traffic monitors compliance and violations can lead to student or employee discipline, but there is no mention of fines.
In contrast STU, facilities staff check the designated areas a few times a year, but the university has avoided actively policing the campus.
“We haven’t been in that circumstance yet,” Carleton said.
Haig said she has noticed people vaping inside buildings instead of using the designated areas.
She believes there are no consequences for those who ignore the rules and added “I respect the space that I pay to go to.”
STU has made adjustments when its designated areas have caused problems; this fall, two spots were moved: one behind the J.B. O’Keefe Fitness Centre because nobody was using it, and another near Vanier Hall after residents complained about smoke drifting inside.
Olivia Brown, who lives in Vanier, said she has noticed people smoking outside the building, sometimes close enough for the smell to reach her first-floor room.
There is also a difference in support for students who want to quit. UNB's policy promises nicotine replacement therapy and other assistance.
STU does not currently offer a quit-smoking program because there has not been demand, but Carleton said it would consider one if students asked for it.
Carleton said he has noticed more students smoking this year, the number confirmed partially.
In the Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey, conducted by Statistics Canada for Health Canada in late 2022 and early 2023, 7.7 per cent of Canadians aged 20 to 24 smoked cigarettes, down from the previous year. The share who had vaped in the past 30 days rose from 17.2 to 19.7 per cent.
Which means nationally, cigarette smoking among young adults has declined while vaping has become more common.
STU is not the only university in the region without a campus-wide smoking ban, Mount Allison University and Université de Moncton have similar approaches.
Their published rules shows: Mount Allison restricts smoking within 10 metres of buildings, while Université de Moncton prohibits it within nine metres of doors, windows and air vents.
For now, College Hill keeps two rulebooks and neither university offered numbers on which one works better.
UNB bets on a clear line: no smoking, anywhere on campus. STU bets on giving smokers a place to go and adjusting when someone complains.
Until nothing changes at STU, the question remains: Are the rules truly helping?
Comments