More and more people believe the smoke-free campus is a good idea which protects the students’ health. That’s why Westminster College will become smoke-free on July 1st too, explained Westminster President Dr. George B. Forsythe.

So, starting with July 1st smoking will be prohibited both indoors and at all outdoor places on campus. This campus is different from other campuses because it is named as "all owned freedoms, athletic place and college-owned residential facilities." It contains the campus areas from Jefferson Street to Hackberry and West 8th Street to West 4th Street and within all college-owned vehicles.

Because of the new legislation staves, students, visitors and contractors suppliers who will wish to puff a cigarette will smoke inside their personal car or outside of campus area.

And of course after the campus ban will become smoke-free, then all current campus-designated smoking areas will be removed.

The idea of banning smoking on college campus was not accepted by a lot of persons. For example Omer Aswad sent an e-mail saying he is a student on campus and already has more than 80 students sustained his opposition against smoke-free campus.

"In a democratic place and especially on a college campus, prohibiting things is not a good step," Aswad wrote.

Aswad added that even his all group is against the new policy of banning smoking absolutely from Westminster. "And, all he and his group ask is to keep the current policy of having few smoking areas on campus," Aswad explained.

Almost all students are against this new anti-smoking legislation because they want to protect the freedom and right of smokers and even nonsmokers.

Amanda Stevens, a health teacher from Counseling and Health Services at Westminster, accepts the new legislation because she considers that: "Smoking not only influences the smoker, but second-hand smoke is dangerous to others too. A smoke-free campus gives a healthier environment for everybody. So, Westminster College cares about its community and this policy supply with the universal importance of the College."

Stevens also added that Westminster has received a $227,000 for to help teach the students of Fulton about the harmful effects of secondhand smoke and to urge them to quit smoking.

She added that this money came from the Missouri Foundation for Health, which is not supplied by the government.  Because of this money, Westminster students, staves and who smoke can get free discussions about smoking cigarettes effects as well as free nicotine patches and nicotine gum to help them kicking the bad habit.