No fines issued yet for Ball State smoking ban

University Police Department has not issued any actual citations for violations of the campus-wide smoking ban, but another type of violation shows that it could become a problem.

Gene Burton, director of public safety, said UPD has received six complaints of smoking pedestrians standing in the street on Petty Road.

The Office of Student Affairs has received at least one complaint from a local resident about smokers, but Joan Todd, executive director of Public Relations, said she isn’t exactly sure how many. Todd said there is a lag in the reports going to the office, and she wasn’t sure when those statistics would be available.

Burton said smokers potentially obstructing traffic on Petty Road is the biggest concern related to the smoking ban.

“We look at it as a public safety issue because when you mix cars and pedestrians, bad things can happen,” he said. “That’s what our primary concern is for the safety and security of not only the pedestrians in the area, but also the motorists’ right to free access on the road.”

Burton said the department will work to find an alternative for those smokers that is safer for everyone.

“That is a violation of law, besides being a pedestrian hazard,” he said. “And we are trying to educate them ... so [that] they still enjoy that activity which is legal where they are, but to make it safer for them and people who use that road.”

UPD has identified other sections adjacent to campus where people congregate to smoke, but the department has not received any complaints about those areas.

UPD officers issued two warning violations without a fine the first week of classes, and three people have been fined for smoking-related littering offenses.

“It is a normal part of our enforcement, as any other university violation would be on campus,” Burton said. “So we don’t send officers out specifically to look for it, but we aren’t ignoring it either.”

If officers come across someone smoking on campus, it is typically a visitor who isn’t aware of the rule, Burton said.

He said he is overall happy with enforcement of the smoking ban, but he thinks there could be an influx in the amount of people smoking close to academic buildings in the winter.

“I think you will see a different behavior pattern when the weather breaks in colder or inclement weather,” he said. “You might see people who might not be quite so willing to go off campus to smoke.”