We like to call ourselves the Auburn University family. In my experience this is how family works: my wife, a nonsmoker, married me, a tobacco consumer. During the early days of my marriage I was allowed to smoke everywhere in my house. At home things changed, and currently I am allowed to smoke only in one room which is not connected to the ventilation system of the house.
My wife tolerates this behavior because I am a good provider and she doesn't wish to make my life miserable. When I was hired at Auburn University, everybody was aware that I smoked. Once every hour, I step outside and smoke a cigarette at a designated area at the vet school. This activity takes me about five minutes and allows me to relax and think about ongoing work.
I believe that my colleagues at work will concede that I am a productive member of the faculty. If the AU family implements a campus-wide smoking ban, smokers will resort to smoking in their cars, often with their engines on--for air conditioning or heating during extremes in temperature--thus reducing their productivity and further polluting the environment.
Besides, it should be pointed out that there are numerous cultural behaviors/habits/conducts that require tolerance. Thus, same as at home, I strongly believe that the Auburn University family should respect and tolerate diversity and allow smoking in designated outdoor areas. This is distinctly relevant, as no scientific evidence exists that would support the notion that outside smoking is harmful to nonsmokers.
Haroldo Toro
professor, pathobiology
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