By Katerina Mansour, Staff Writer

Published in print Jan. 28, 2015

There are numerous unspoken rules of social conduct within society. UNCG is no exception to that. As humans, we have expectations of our fellow beings. Right or wrong, that’s the way it is. We expect common courtesy. We expect people to engage in the very basic rituals of social norms and if they don’t we condemn them for it. We’re all aware of the majority of these mostly unspoken rules whether we follow them or not. Hold the door open for others, offer your seat on the bus to someone who might need it more than you, smile and say hello to your professors, don’t be disruptive in class, move out of peoples way on the sidewalk, and the list goes on.

The common theme within these rules is to treat the people around you with respect. Respect is a tricky concept, especially within our generation. Most people our age will say that you earn respect, it isn’t just given to you. However, this doesn’t really apply to daily life. The person walking to class behind you is someone you’ll probably never get to know, thus you will never be able to assess whether they deserve respect or not. By that logic, what are we supposed to do? Well, perhaps we should simply treat each other with respect, until we are given reason not to.

One of the many complaints on campus related to common courtesy and the respect of social norms is that of smoking. UNCG is not a tobacco free campus. There are ashtrays throughout the campus indicating designated smoking areas and there are the usual stickers stating that you must be 25 feet away from a building entrance in order to smoke. Those are the only two indicators regarding outdoor smoking students on campus are given. Yet, there is a very outspoken aversion towards smokers on campus.

Non-smokers on campus make their frustration and disgust of smokers very clear in most social situations. They seem to forget that, as long as the smoker is in a designated smoking area, they are breaking no rules. As a non-smoker, if you are outdoors and cigarette smoke bothers you, you might want to avoid the areas designated for smokers. Obviously, you have the right to sit where you like, but this comes back to the issue of courtesy and respect. The smoker, in a designated smoking area, means no disrespect towards the non-smoker. The non-smoker, offended by smoke, taking a seat in areas where smoking is prohibited shows the same type of reciprocal respect towards the smoker. It also avoids unpleasant confrontation on both sides. Since this subject often provokes anger and even passive aggressive behavior on both sides, it seems to me that a little forethought could benefit us all.

Respect goes both ways, and smokers should act courteously around others as well. As a smoker you should not smoke in areas where it is prohibited. You should not blow smoke in peoples’ faces. You should put out your cigarettes in ashtrays or trashcans, and if those aren’t available find another solution. If you notice that your smoke is bothering someone, try to move away from them if possible. As a smoker you should respect that non-smokers may see your cigarette as a nuisance, just as non-smokers should respect your choice to view things differently.

UNCG arguably lacks enough designated smoking areas and ashtrays which leads to the problems many smokers and non-smokers face. You might come across smokers walking down College Avenue, waiting for the bus or perhaps sitting on a bench without any ashtrays indicating itself as a smoking area. Those gray areas make it difficult for both parties to gauge what they should do as UNCG has not necessarily made it clear. In these situations, I would recommend both parties act sympathetically towards each other. The smoker should move if they are asked to, the non-smoker should be polite when asking the smoker to do so.

At its core, the topic of smoking is simply a matter of respect. Non-smokers must respect smokers’ right to smoke, and smokers must respect non-smokers’ right not to be subjected to smoke. Either party being passive aggressive or openly disrespectful to the other is just a demonstration of a complete lack of respect. At the end of the day, we’re all people. Smokers aren’t trying to offend non-smokers. If you have a problem with smokers or non-smokers, find a proper solution. For either side to react with dirty looks and/or rude comments doesn’t further our goal towards common courtesy and respect.