OCU prides itself on being a clean and functional place for students to learn. Just because times are changing, however, doesn’t mean this standard of quality should be compromised.
Since the creation of vaping and electronic cigarettes in 2004, they have become increasingly popular, especially among high school and undergraduate college students.
Vaping is often used as a way to circumvent no-smoking policies because it’s not technically smoking, but vapes and e-cigs have almost all the same adverse effects as cigarettes. Some of them, like JUUL, contain even more nicotine than most cigarettes and 10 times as much as other e-cigs, according to Inc.com.
Students need to understand this and respect places where smoking isn’t allowed, like on the OCU campus.
Marijuana recently became more accessible when voters approved SQ 788 in June, which legalized medical marijuana in Oklahoma. This is beneficial for those with medical conditions that require cannabis, but students still are expected to abide by university rules, even with a permit. Students are not permitted to smoke marijuana on campus and need to remember that the legalization of cannabis isn’t an excuse to have it anywhere on university property.
See Page 1 for more on vaping, medical marijuana and other campus conduct issues.
Students should also remember the smaller, lower-impact rules that are still in place for a reason, such as clothing policies. All university buildings have a “no shoes, no shirt, no service” policy, and students need to respect this rule if they want to be allowed in places on campus.
OCU allows approved assistant animals on campus, but there are often issues with owners not cleaning up after their pets. University policy states that cleaning up after pets is mandatory for pet owners. This task may be slightly unpleasant for the pet owner, but if he or she doesn’t clean up after their pet, the result is markedly more unpleasant for all students.
Failing to follow the rules that keep OCU a clean and orderly place to live affects the lives of other students and the life of the rulebreaker.
If students want to keep OCU a healthy, functional place to study, then they need to understand and respect the policies that help it stay that way.
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