Last Thursday, Campus Council passed a resolution calling for the University to prohibit smoking in all residential facilities by fall 2002.
Campus Council President Vik Devisetty lauded the action as strong leadership in creating a healthier residential living environment.
Although the administration has not made a decision on the matter, many students said a ban would invade their privacy.
Campus Council argues that smoke does not stay in students' rooms, but travels throughout the building, causing irritation and health risks for other residents.
"This change will allow Duke to join with its peer institutions that have implemented such regulations years ago and will ultimately make our residential system a more healthy, attractive environment," reads the resolution, signed by Devisetty and Campus Council Representative Anthony Vitarelli, a freshman.
The resolution said the prohibition would not inconvenience smokers too much because students would not have to trek far to leave their dorms to smoke.
"Obviously [smokers] would prefer to smoke in their own rooms, but their smoking affects the people around them," he said.
He also argued that, because less than 5 percent of last year's campus residents reported smoking in the annual housing survey, the resolution would benefit many more students than it would inconvenience.
Acknowledging that some smokers may not have owned up to their habit on the survey, Devisetty said, "If they choose not to say they are smokers, they lose the opportunity for representation."
Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta said he favored the residential smoking ban, and that his office asked Campus Council to offer him student opinion on the issue.
Many students said they disagree with the need for the policy, including sophomore Monica Melchionni. She said smoking in a dorm room does not usually affect those outside the room and should not be prohibited if the smoker's roommate does not mind. "If a smoker is rude about it, it could affect people in the hallway, but they're generally considerate, especially when a majority of people are non-smokers," she said.
Senior Andrea Feit disagreed. "Smoke pervades all the spaces, even if students only smoke in their rooms," she said.
Melchionni also questioned the effectiveness of the policy. "They can't enforce the alcohol policy--how are they going to enforce the smoking policy?" she said.
Although the policy technically affects Central Campus apartments, Devisetty said the council intends to amend the policy because it would be uninforcible there.
Other students said they were disappointed there was not more public debate about the policy before Campus Council approved the resolution. "I hadn't heard anything about it," said Neal Dongre, a senior. "It's something important enough and that enough people will be angry about or happy about that they should have gotten more input on."
Devisetty said Campus Council had gathered input. He said he asked council members to discuss the issue with their constituents and Quad Council members so they could be informed when the council debated and voted on the issue last week.
Senior Sean Young, Duke Student Government liaison for residential life, said Campus Council had not informed him of the resolution and that he would have liked the two organizations to collaborate on gathering input about the issue through such means as open forums and mass e-mails.
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