El Camino College banned the use of all tobacco products on campus back on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2015, including the parking lots and any facilities connected to EC.

EC adopted Board Policy 3570, titled “Smoke and Tobacco Free Campus” back in Feb. 2015, which “prohibits the use of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars, snuff, snus, water pipes, pipes, hookahs, chew, and any other non-combustible tobacco product,” as stated in the policy.

“We ask people not to smoke, and put up signs. If people are going to smoke on campus, they are going to smoke,” Brian Fahnestock, vice president of Administrative Services, said.

Although EC is a smoke and tobacco free campus, students seem to still smoke all throughout campus.

“I try to keep it away from populated areas, but I still do it anyways,” Alec Caceres, 22, business major, said.

Although some students try to be in less populated areas of the campus when they smoke, there is still the factor of second hand smoke to students nearby which is harmful to others.

“Second hand smoke is unhealthy for everyone,” Fahnestock said. “We wish people would be more considerate.”

El Camino encourages students to follow the rules by posting up no smoking signs all around campus, and advertise as a tobacco and smoke free campus.

“We try to enforce the Board Policy,” said El Camino police chief Michael Trevis. “We are not giving tickets, but it is possible. We just ask that you go to just outside the perimeters of the campus.”

The smoke free debate had been going on for years before EC decided to adopt a smoke free campus, with the debate of whether there should be designated smoking areas on campus.

“I think there should be smoking sections on campus,” Ashley Mae Balbas, 20, nursing major said. “I don’t really think it’s a big deal.”

According to Fahnestock, the problem with a smoking section on campus is that of people are already not complying with the smoke free and tobacco free policies of EC, which prevents them from not following the rules of a designated smoking zone on campus.

Since there is no designated smoking area on campus, and smoking and other tobacco products are banned from being used on campus, law enforcement, faculty, and staff are encouraged to work together to enforce the ban to keep EC smoke free.

“Enforcement will be primarily educational, with an emphasis on cessation resources,” the Smoke and Tobacco Free Campus Board Policy 3570 says.