Excuse us if we smell. We just walked through the health and environmental hazard blooming between Olin and Uris Libraries that’s swiftly spreading to other areas of campus, like the steps of Goldwin Smith. And no, the Cornell Grounds Department was not shoveling fertilizer into the new sculpture garden surrounding the, er, beautiful piece of modern artwork outside of Uris Libe.

So what was the problem?

The army of Cornell smokers was just lighting up their cigs. And yes, we’re annoyed. In light of the various anti-smoking efforts taking place around the Ithaca area, it’s about time Cornell steps up to the plate.

For example, last February, Reality Check of Tompkins County, a group of Ithaca High School students working to reduce the number of high school-aged smokers, presented the Tobacco 19 (T-19) bill to the Health and Human Services Committee of Tompkins County. Although the bill — which would have increased the legal age for purchasing tobacco products from 18 to 19 — did not pass, county officials like Committee Chair Nathan Shinagawa ’05 (D-4th Ward) are still searching for ways to more aggressively regulate the purchase of tobacco.

More recently, the Holy Wegmans Empire, a massive 71-store supermarket chain sprawled across five states, announced in January a policy that, for the first time since the Flood, will prevent customers from finding all of life’s luxuries and necessities under one roof. As of Feb. 10, the chain will stop selling cigarettes and all other tobacco products, citing the health dangers they inflict not only on those who smoke, but also on those exposed to environmental, or second-hand, smoke.

But Wegmans didn’t stop there. The chain’s anti-tobacco policy will also help employees looking to quit smoking, and Papa Wegman has promised to pay for employees’ smoking cessation products.

So, as the ever-present group of Cornell smokers shamelessly surrounds some of the most widely utilized buildings on campus, we are compelled to ask: where does Cornell stand with regard to tobacco use? According to Cornell’s Smoking Policy, the University prohibits smoking in all indoor facilities, enclosed bus stops and University-owned or controlled vehicles, as well as within 25 feet of the entrance to any University-owned or controlled building. Although these stipulations seem exceptional on paper, even a myopic prefrosh would notice how poorly the Policy is enforced.

We encourage the Administration to take meaningful steps to curtail on-campus smoking by not only monitoring popular smoking locations more carefully, but also by publicizing Gannett’s smoking cessation services in an more aggressively outward manner.

Wegmans is a private company that directly benefits from the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products. If it can voluntarily discontinue selling tobacco for the health and safety of its customers, Cornell can, at the very least, muster its resources to curb smoking for the health and safety of its students, faculty and staff.