Smoking is a social faux pas, a parent's worst nightmare, and for those who are a slave to those poisonous cancer sticks, they know these facts all too well, because by continuing this evil trend, they have become the dregs of society.

They litter the sidewalks, crouching in the shadows, hiding their faces in shame. Children walk by and stare; people passing by give a quick condescending cough to remind these heathens that their breathing air is being sullied by smoke.

On any given day, outside any building on campus, you'll find smokers. Sometimes a herd of them, sometimes a straggler inhaling a quick one in between classes, but no doubt these smokers are allowed to roam free on campus, lighting up wherever they choose. All of this despite a long-forgotten policy with such good intentions.

As of Aug. 23, 2004, SF State President Robert A. Corrigan designated SF State a “smoke-free campus,” reducing the nasty activity to a few designated areas that would reduce cigarette exposure to the main campus traffic. Everybody heard about this new policy-for a brief moment some smokers even feared it-but by taking a look around campus today it appears that students and, yes, even faculty, have forgotten about it.

The ineffectiveness of this policy may partly be due to the lack of enforcement(it's really not designed to be a punishable offense). It's a strong request for respect and consideration to those who don't appreciate walking through large clouds of smoke while on their way to class.

It all boils down to civility and common courtesy. While I do enjoy blowing my cigarette smoke in the faces of small children and the elderly, I, and many other student smokers, generally step aside to light up, having no intention of exposing others to secondhand smoke.

In fact, I'm ashamed and disgusted by those who carelessly smoke in high-foot traffic areas. Last semester, I witnessed a young man smoking while waiting in line at Café Rosso on the west end of campus. To my surprise, he kept puffing all the way up to the register, blowing smoke right in the cashier's face. It's for this man that the policy exists, and it's this man that gives all us smokers a bad name.

Before Corrigan declared SF State “a smoke-free campus with designated smoking areas,” the previous university policy prohibited smoking within 30 feet of a campus building. Either people are having difficulties measuring out that distance, or they're still ignoring the policy even while violating the current one.

So, what's a hopeful university supposed to do?

Their intentions don't go unfounded. Almost anybody would agree that cigarette smoke contains harmful chemicals that may pose great health risks, including heart disease and lung cancer. However, the only option left would be an outright ban on smoking, which would surely lead to retaliation and multiple violations because, if anyone knows the mentality of a smoker, they'll light up at any cost.

But, President Corrigan remains optimistic that the policy will lead to greater strides against the war on smoking.

“I hope that over time smoking on campus will diminish naturally and we will be able to reduce, and perhaps eliminate, the designated smoking spots,” he announced in an August campus news bulletin.

Yes, a wonderful dream, indeed.

Meanwhile, until all the smoke-breathing bad examples' butts extinguish, we'll kindly step out of the way and attempt to provide a cleaner air space, but good luck rounding up the herd in the designated corrals.