Nova is famous (or perhaps, infamous) for our strong smoker culture. As a school that believes in personal freedom, it seems only right that we should not stop students of a legal age from purchasing and smoking their cigarettes, provided they stay in the designated smoking areas, and respect community property. (Students illegally purchasing cigarettes is another issue, one that the school is not responsible for policing if it occurs outside of school hours only.) Freedom to control substances in one’s body is a personal liberty.
From the outside, there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with students smoking at Nova. It is an example of the freedom allotted to every student here that can be seen from across the street. But concern has been expressed by some students and staff that this open policy regarding smokers has led to more students taking up smoking than do at an average high school–for reasons of wanting to fit in, or because smoking is made out to be “not a big deal” at Nova. I interviewed various members of the Nova community (smoker students, non-smoker students, and staff members) and found that feelings about smoking at Nova are all over the map, so to speak. Here’s an example of some opinions that I collected.
Other schools’ smoking policies
“They don’t really have a smoker policy [at Roosevelt], because you just have to go across the street. Here there’s kind of an understanding between teachers and students that smoking is okay, and at Roosevelt it’s looked down upon, so there’s less smokers…[because] they care what their teachers think.” – Chris Cohen (smoker student)
“I think it installs a belief in anti-authority, and I feel it causes kids [who smoke] to be later to class .” – Shauna Adams (smoker student on how policy affects smokers at other high schools)
Taking up smoking after starting at Nova
“I quit and then started again [when I came to Nova].” – Gavin Stone (new student and smoker on when he started smoking)
“I’d probably say generally, yes, [new students who smoke are more common here]. For example in my little 9th grade Coor group, it’s about 90% smokers.” – Jay Stickler (staff member)
“Staff at Nova would never encourage smoking. Every time it is brought up in staff meeting we talk about the concern we have for the young people who are smoking. When we go on to ask ourselves whether we should legislate this situation, we almost all agree that at Nova, we do not make rules, we create community and we influence one another. I try whenever I can to influence Nova students to quit smoking and certainly never begin.” – Debbie Cherniak (staff member)
Pressure and social circles
“I’ve never felt inclined or pressured, really…I spend time with smokers.” – Leroy Miller (non-smoker student)
“Yeah [I've felt pressured]. But at the same time, I’ve had smokers tell me, ‘do as I say, not as I do.’ [Smokers don't have better social circles], but at the same time, that’s not what I thought before I started smoking.” – REL Gross (ex-smoker student)
Looking at the various opinions expressed by the above members of the Nova community, and others, it would seem that there is no clear-cut answer to this issue. Social behaviors of students are not something that can be easily measured and analyzed. One student may react to peer pressure differently than another. Some students never feel the urge to pick up a cigarette even though all their friends smoke, yet others feel that smoking is a way to bond to other Nova students.
How do you feel about smoking and social influences at Nova?
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This is a very interesting and well thought out article, Leila. Not only does it cover subject matter that is local and relevant to the Nova student body, it also gives insight into one of the prevalent cultural trends at our school. In a web sense, this article is also very well formatted for this site and you avoided the “text-wall” look, which often repels a lot of readers.
On a more opinionated note in response to your open end in this article–although i won’t raise a fuss if someone makes the personal decision to smoke, I find it to be a rather selfish habit because of the damage it can cause to your own body (thus hurting others) or the actual problem of second-hand smoke and how that also effects those around you. Also, Nova is generally a “liberal” and pro-social justice school, and by buying and consuming cigarettes they are supporting huge conservative tobacco corporations who are using their dollars to lobby for everything that Nova is against: less separation of church and state, revoking a woman’s right to choose her own birth options, eliminating the rights of same-sex couples etc etc. I find this to be the most ironic and disgusting part about smoking and I wish our “liberal” student body would reevaluate what a stinky and selfish habit their social trend can be.
I think some people have to smoke if they don’t have other outlets. Hopefully it’s not permanent, but for some people it’s the only way to stay sane in capitalism.
It does make Nova look bad though. We’re supposed to be so progressive, yet we pour so much money into Tobacco, and Tobacco companies are the opposite of progressive.
what % of teens smoke because of peer-pressure???????
To answer gigglepoof — peer pressure and desire to fit in are the two most common reasons people say they started smoking.
The Nova smoking policy has never made sense to me compared to the various other health-related and socially conscious things Nova constantly encourages, like vegetarian eating and recycling. Smoking isn't just a matter of what you put into your own body. For one thing, it costs non-smokers billions of dollars a year because people who smoke have more health problems and make more insurance claims, which makes everybody's insurance cost more. It's not a question of what you have the right to put in your own body. If we're going to encourage social responsibility and intelligent behavior we should discourage smoking, because it's neither one.