Emma DejongManaging Editor

Smokers had no problem finding a light outside The Union around noon on Dec. 9.

To voice their opinions regarding the Students’ Association’s decision to put a campus-wide smoking ban to a student vote, 10 to 15 smoked their pipes and cigarettes as part of a protest outside the west doors of The Union.

“Don’t make people who you are forcing to live on campus for the first two years of their college lives leave campus to practice their rights,” said Devanshu Narang, senior visual arts major who participated in the protest.

Freshman art major Katherine Daugaard said she has no problems with an all-campus smoking ban.

“It bothers me when I go outside and have to walk through the cloud of smoke,” she said.

Justin Schneider, sophomore agronomy major, walked by the smokers and said that although he agrees with their reasoning, a little more planning would have made a stronger impact.

“I personally think protests, if they’re not actually organized, are just kind of pointless,” Schneider said. “They’re just going to irritate the enforcers.”

SDSU student Simeon Brown organized a Facebook event as a way to get people involved. The protest started at 12 p.m. People came and went, but at 12:15 p.m., 13 people were smoking.

Brown said he knows about smoking’s health effects.

“It’s a public health issue,” he said. “It is stupid. But at some point you can’t stop everything that’s stupid.”

Senior mass communications major Catey Watkins was also part of the protest.

“I don’t think they should try to tell me what’s healthy for me, and then [make] me adhere to that,” Watkins said. “It’s like telling me to run in the mornings.”

Narang said the issue is with how SA handled the situation.

“I was at the first Senate meeting,” he said. “It was bullshit. There was no study of how many students are actually pissed about this.”

Freshman nursing major Hawan Girmay walked through the crowd, and said she had no problem with it.

“It doesn’t bother me,” she said. “It’s outside. It’s not like you’re constrained in this area.”

Girmay said she thinks designated smoking areas on campus would be a good option.

Narang said the issue comes down to the issue of what a person can claim as rights.

“You own the air just as much as I do,” he said. “What’s next? Are you going to legislate farts?”

#1.1827388:1516833323.JPG:Smoking ban group Simeon:Simeon Brown, SDSU student and smoker, organized the protest. :Collegian photo by Tony Gorder#1.1827392:3523210142.JPG:Smoking ban protest group 2:Thirteen people were in the group at approximately 12:15 p.m.:Collegian photo by Tony Gorder#1.1827400:1728652187.JPG:protest 3::Collegian photo by Tony Gorder