Jessica Mehr
Instructor, Department of English
Purdue University
500 Oval Drive
West Lafayette, IN 47907

February 1, 2011

Al Diaz
Executive Vice President for Business and Finance, Treasurer
Purdue University
610 Purdue Mall
West Lafayette, IN 47907

Dear Mr. Diaz:

This is a formal letter of complaint regarding the university’s administration of smoking areas on Purdue University’s West Lafayette Campus.  As you are aware, as of July 1, 2010, smoking is prohibited on campus, except in designated smoking areas.  The purpose of this policy is to “minimize exposure to Secondhand Smoke for all persons on the West Lafayette campus” (Smoke Free West Lafayette Campus (I.4.2). 

As a former smoker, I find this policy extremely reasonable; however, I feel that there are issues with the administration of the smoking areas themselves.  My complaints include the smoking area locations, cleanliness, and safety.

  • Locations:  By locating smoking areas on heavily-traveled routes, the university has created congestion choke-points of smokers in certain areas, particularly the Purdue Union.  Putting smoking areas in busy locations has generated dense pockets of smoke in high-traffic areas, potentially exposing non-smokers to more second-hand smoke than they received from small handfuls of smokers spread out all over campus.  This problem is further exacerbated by the lack of convenient smoking areas in certain parts of campus.  This can result in students smoking extra cigarettes preemptively in fear that there will not be a convenient smoking area near their destination.  If the purpose of this ban is not only to prevent second-hand smoke but also to discourage smokers from continuing their habit, the mapping of locations has blunted the effectiveness of both goals.
  • Cleanliness:  Most smoking areas, especially high-crowd locations such as the Purdue Union, do not have adequate receptacles to hold cigarette butts.  The ash trays are small, rarely emptied, and often smoke or catch fire.  This lack of adequate ash trays has created areas in which hundreds of cigarette butts are strewn on the sidewalk, which is a blight to the Purdue community, smokers and non-smokers alike. 
  • Safety:  At night, many of the smoking areas are poorly lit and do not have emergency phones located nearby (the Armory location is a prime example).  I often work late on campus, and as a woman smoking alone, I would feel concern for my safety.  These areas seem to be inviting muggers and other would-be assailants.  Since student health and safety is a major goal of the smoking ban, I find it strange that Purdue would neglect to enact basic security measures.  

To counter these issues, I request that you:

  1. Reconsider the mapping and administration of Purdue’s designated smoking areas.  You should provide additional areas that can be conveniently accessed from all parts of campus and avoid having one location in particularly busy locations such as the Purdue Union.
  2. Provide better nighttime lighting and put emergency phones near all smoking areas.
  3. Ensure that multiple ashtrays are placed at each location and empty them regularly throughout the day. 

I know that Purdue enacted this smoking policies to improve the safety and comfort of students, faculty, and employees.  I hope that you will not delay in addressing these concerns. I can be reached via phone at 765-555-5555 or via email at email@purdue.edu if you would like to discuss this matter further.  I would appreciate being informed about your efforts to remedy this situation. 

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Jessica Mehr