AFTER almost a semester of implementation, the University’s anti-smoking campaign has nailed 10 students and three outsiders.
According to Prof. Zenaida Famorca, director for Student Welfare and Development of the Student Affairs Department, it was students who reported the violators to the security guards. However, the Office for Students Affairs (OSA) withheld the violators’ names. Most of the arrested students were caught smoking in the comfort rooms.
Upon arrest, the violator is ticketed. A copy of the ticket is kept by OSA for documentation and recording. The ticket bears the name of the offender, his or her college, student number and in the case of outsiders, the reason why he or she is in the University.
However, Famorca said fines were yet imposed on the outsiders because the campaign has just started.
“We only reprimanded the violators because we want everyone to get used to the campaign. But starting next semester, we will impose the fines strictly,” Famorca said in Filipino.
Meanwhile, security officer Bartolome Solano said the security department could have caught more violators if they had their own tickets.
Solano said he and a fellow officer caught a violator last month but had to release him with just a warning because the OSA had already closed. Jennifer B. Fortuno
