Can AUBG Become a Smoke - Free University? Mar. 7, 2024 I t is not a secret that a lot of people on the AUBG campus are smokers. So when the conversations about the potential restrictions on smoking started to escalate, clashing opinions became prevalent. “I don’t smoke. But I’m a smoker. I’m a passive smoker. And that is the problem,” said Sabina Wien, the Dean of Students. Dean Wien stated that decisions such as restricting or banning smoking don’t just happen overnight. “I hope that students are aware that whenever the university has the intention to do something, we inform the students, not only inform them, we also consult with the students,” she said. Dean Wien pointed out that a lot of new people have joined AUBG, including the new president, who noticed that the signs about not smoking in certain areas were not really working. “It is a natural life of signs. At a certain point, people stop noticing,” she said. Conversations around smoking started with the intention of supporting the rights of people who prefer not to smoke. “When you enter the buildings, you have to walk through a cloud of smoke,” Dean Wien noted. She also said: “Limiting somebody’s freedom is wrong and smokers may not always be aware of non-smokers around them.” Yet, nothing has been decided. “We don’t want to harm people who are smokers,” Dean Wien said, “We want to educate people.” 10 Spring 2024 | AUBG Daily The conversations involved resident assistants, who are aware of the habits of students. “We discussed how we can accommodate people. We even discussed if we could have smoking and non-smoking balconies,” she shared. “It is not about banning smoking, it is about banning the possibility of smokers harming the non-smokers,” Dean Wien added. Rati Sirabidze, a junior from Georgia, does not perceive smoking on campus as a problem. He currently lives off-campus, but still thinks that potential restrictions on smoking will affect him in some ways. “I don’t think that people are considering the deep-rooted cultural context and the meaning of smoking in the Balkans, especially in Bulgaria,” he said. Rati said that smoking is a personal choice and this personal choice should not be restricted. “Every addiction is harmful. They might as well ban drinking on campus,” he said. He also raised the issue of the financial implications of the possible restriction or banning of smoking. “Does AUBG have money for such spending, considering that campus with about 1000 students has only one counselor?” he asked. Rati said that topics tend to come and go. “It almost feels like they are trying to shift the focus from very problematic topics to something which people don’t really care about,” he added. Rati Sirabidze smoking in front of the BAC building. Photo courtesy of Eka Iakobadze Rati thinks that nobody would go out of their way to smoke on a different balcony or go off campus. He also raised the issue of how it could be monitored: “I don’t think resident assistants would be willing to do that job on top of everything they are doing already.” Ethan Perelstein, a senior from the U.S., had a contrasting opinion. “Smokers can just walk down to the river,” he said, “The rest of the country is designed for smokers, let’s make sure that at least our campus is safe for everyone.” Considering that AUBG has a new president and the university has started the planned expansion, Ethan is not surprised that this conversation is coming up now. “It is a good opportunity for cultural change,” he said. Ethan has written an article on smoking in AUBG. In his article, he discussed the notion of “individual freedom”. “Smokers who know better
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