The population of cigarette smokers on campus is noticeable, but something that isn't so noticeable is the amount of students that buy those cigarettes with Pirate's Gold.
The bookstore accepts Pirate's Gold for any purchase, which means students can buy cigarettes from the store while on campus. With a majority of students on campus being of age to buy tobacco products, Pirate's Gold is a viable means of buying cigarettes for any student.
The sale of cigarettes for anyone of age with Pirate's Gold or cash can be a problem for any campus that has come a long way from the active use of cigarettes to the active discouraging of their use.
Vice President of Student Services, Dr. Tracy Gottlieb said that the impression of cigarettes on the community has changed over the years on campus.
"In fact, back in the day, professors smoked in classes and some of them allowed students to smoke in the class too. There were even little foil ashtrays in the classrooms," Gottlieb said. "That was a long time ago and we have come a long way since then."
Gottlieb said that the University actively discourages cigarettes because of the dangers that come with smoking but it has never banned the smoking or sale of cigarettes.
"If students are anxious for a ban on smoking, they need to work through their Student Government," Gottlieb said. "If the majority of students on campus favor a campus-wide ban on smoking then I would certainly work with them."
Still, it is not an unusual thing on campus to see a smoker especially with these sales being a primary transaction at the bookstore according to many employees.
Senior Caroline Waszok, who works at the bookstore, said that the majority of cigarette purchases are made with Pirate's Gold. "I'm working an eight hour shift today and I've had at least 20 transactions for cigarettes," Waszok said, "and about 15 of them used pirate's gold."
Waszok said this is a normal occurrence at the bookstore because most of the younger students who live on campus can't always go get their own cigarettes somewhere else.
"The older students get them somewhere else for cheaper and the younger ones who live on campus just buy them here," said Waszok.
Several students on campus declined to be interviewed for the piece while several others said they had no idea that the campus book store even sold cigarettes.
Eric Hostletter can be reached at eric.hostletter@student.shu.edu.
