With Smokers Stepping Off Campus, On-Campus Students Take Initiative to Clean Up

Students and staff clean up the sidewalk north of Maple Hill Residence Hall.

Cigarette butts and other littr is cleaned from neighborhood streets.

Student Sam McLelland gets dirty cleaning up but declares victory.

When the state’s Campus Clean Air Act was implemented Aug. 1, smoking became illegal on University of Arkansas property. An unintended consequence of the law was that students who do use tobacco products began stepping off campus and into adjacent neighborhoods for smoke breaks.

Many of these students were unaware of the impact that their secondhand smoke and littering of cigarette butts was having on adults and children in the neighborhoods. When this was brought to the attention of the University of Arkansas, the office of university housing and the campus tobacco-free committee known as FRESH developed a strategy to reduce the negative impacts being created.

A letter addressing the issue and stating the steps the university and student groups would follow was sent during the first week of September to various neighborhood leaders to share those steps with the rest of the neighborhood residents.

“First and foremost, communications and developing good relations between students living on campus and citizens living in the neighborhoods are high priorities. The quality of life for our neighbors as well as our students should be complementary and considerate,” the letter stated.

Students agreed.

“I personally feel that as a director in Residence Inter-hall Congress, and as a student who is from northwest Arkansas, that our campus relations with the members of the neighborhood who live around the U of A are especially important,” said student Georgia Marks. “Not only do they provide us with off-campus living, but their support and understanding on almost any issue is vital to helping things run smoothly for those of us who live on campus.”

On Aug. 30 students in Maple Hill Residence Hall and members of the Residence Inter-hall Congress held a cleanup of cigarette butts and litter in the neighborhood area north of Maple Hill and Reid Hall.

“It was nice to give back to my new community and help them solve a problem that my fellow students have caused, and I met some really good people in the process," said student Samuel Mclelland.

“As an individual, I’m glad I helped with the cleanup. This is my fourth year living on-campus, and I regard it as home. For me this was more about keeping my home clean and being a good neighbor than anything else,” said student William Hogan. “As RIC president, this and any subsequent cleanup efforts are simply a demonstration of RIC’s commitment to ensuring a safe and sanitary living environment. We hope to see more students involved in the future in this and other potential beautification projects.”