Good move by USF to ban the use of tobacco on its Tampa campus.
For the last three years, smoking had been allowed in 25 designated zones. As of Jan. 4, the flagship campus will join its regional counterparts in St. Petersburg and Sarasota and become tobacco-free. Yes, that’s e-cigs too. And, yes, that includes all on-campus events.
It will be “peer-enforced.” And, yes, that will probably have its protocol moments during the transition. Watch for the videos.
It’s also about time.
The health-and-environmental matters are more than manifest. Common good and common sense warrant no less.
Moreover, we’re talking about a university. Higher education. It’s more than grades 13-16. It’s the cutting edge of smart. It’s where insight and intellect are developed and exercised. It’s where enlightenment is incubated and truth pursued.
Having smoking zones on a 2016 university campus should be as confoundingly incongruous as, well, hunting in a state park.