City College smokers returned from summer vacation to find the twelve designated smoking areas reduced to four: three on East Campus and one on West Campus.

The Tobacco Prevention Settlement Program gave the school a $5,000 grant, which helped to cut down the amount of designated smoking areas. Smokers on campus are fuming.

“Smokers in general are kind of politically weak right now,” said Homer Arrington, an English instructor on campus. “If they outlaw it that’s fine, but in the meantime, three sections?”

Over the summer, a committee was assembled to determine where smoking areas should be consolidated. This committee included director of security Eric Fricke, the Health and Wellness Center, the director of facilities Julie Hendricks, and vice president of business services Joe Sullivan.

The committee used the grant money to hire a Smoking Awareness Officer, whose job is to inform smokers outside the designated smoking areas where the areas are located, and offer information about smoking cessation.

“During the past few years, we’ve received complaints from people regarding the smoke on campus,” Fricke said. “It ranges from breathing problems to headaches.”

Fricke said the smoking areas on the east end of the bridge and the bookstore patio were areas where many people pass through, which is why these areas no longer allow smoking.

The only smoking area on West Campus is located near the fountain. On East Campus, smoking areas are now located near the bike path across the parking lot from the Student Services Building, the PS-101 patio, and the benches at the south end of the Humanities Building near the international office.

Emily Harrington, president of the Student Senate, believes the new designated areas are important to the campus.

“My personal opinion is smoking is very detrimental,” Harrington said. “I’m very pleased with the decrease in smoking areas myself.”

Many international student smokers come from countries that allow smoking nearly everywhere. Zhengshuai Shi, an economics major from China, thinks the consolidations are unfair.

“They cancelled a lot,” Shi said. “It’s not fair at all. It’s the same environment.”

Many smokers on campus were still not aware of the changes, including Arrington.

Since the ashtrays have been moved, cigarette butts are piling up at the old sections. And since budget cuts reduced the number of hourly janitorial staff, the butts keep adding up.

Fricke said student and faculty smokers have been friendly and cooperative when asked to move from non-smoking sections.

“Our goal is not to punish smokers, or alienate them,” said Fricke. “It’s just that we want to provide a suitable location that causes the least amount of concern or harm towards non-smokers.”

Meanwhile, Arrington had a piece of advice: “Smokers unite!”