In the last year and a half, the UW-Stout campus has imposed several new sanctions on tobacco and alcohol. The tobacco referendum started with smoking on campus, which is understandable. Second hand smoke is annoying and unhealthy. Plainly speaking, it affects a lot of people on campus. Drinking can be a problem for most college campuses, but from what I can tell, its more a phenomenon of the age group. However, the college atmosphere does facilitate some bad drinking habits, but they are overdramatized more often than not. In some respects I agree with Chancellor Sorensen: smoking is bad, drinking excessively can lead to academic, health, and social problems, and chewing tobacco is unsightly. The latest ban on ALL tobacco, including chewing tobacco, snuff, snus, and anything else out there, just went way over the top and has been paraded around as some sort of progressive victory over ignorant, unhealthy, simpletons. The reality is that very few students chew on university property, almost never outside of the dorms. Never-the-less, Sorensen brags up the fact that Stout is the first four year school in Wisconsin to be completely tobacco free. With regards to alcohol use, there have already been several house parties busted after only a few days of the start of the semester. All this has been done in the name of good health. As we are all aware of the effects of tobacco and alcohol, the mandated coddling is just insulting.
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