All around campus, "Smoke Free Entrance" signs stand in front of doorways to buildings, and all around campus, people are smoking in front of those signs. 

In the spring of 2005, the UT Faculty Senate approved a resolution to create at least one smoke-free entrance to each building on campus. In addition to the signs, UT has placed more cigarette disposal bins around campus. While these bins do help keep the areas around them clean, some students believe they do not pull students away from smoke-free zones.

The signs are clearly placed around campus, but senior Barry Gibs said there are "definitely some people who don't pay attention." 

While nearly every building has at least one "Smoke Free Entrance" sign, not one of them has any posted consequences or anyone near them to enforce this rule.  At best, Gibs thinks the signs might serve as a reminder. 

Along with lacking any sort of possible consequences for smoking in smoke-free zones, it is unclear to students how far away they should be from the entrance to the building. While other schools that have adopted similar policies have signs with certain distances specified, signs UT simply ask students to stay away from the "entrance." With such a huge margin for discrepancy, students who would rather not move don't make an effort.

Sophomore Ada Lung argues that the signs are necessary, but right now they do not serve much of a purpose. As a resident assistant, she knows how traveled the entrances to a building can be and how many people choose to smoke in front of them. However, she can do nothing about it. 

"Technically it's not in the building. That means it's not even in our jurisdiction," Lung said. 

Right now, the signs are not enforced by anyone. According to Gibs, some students may complain, but they are ignored. 

Andy Holt desk assistant Mark Estes has been employed by residence halls for nearly three years. He says that students' habits have not changed much since the signs went up.

"People are still going to go out and smoke if there's a sign or not. If they get reprimanded, it might be different, but they don't," Estes said.

Mostly, students ignore the signs because there are no consequences. Not only are there no posted results of breaking this rule, but there is no one to enforce those rules. Lung suggests that all it would take would be a random patrol near these entrances. While a fine or trip to Judicial Affairs may be over the top, she thinks there are means of taking charge without being unreasonable.

In Gibs's case, no one has ever confronted him about his smoking habits; he has never even heard of someone being approached. Cigarette butts can be a nuisance and even a danger on campus, but aside from a rare mulch fire, no one feels a need for change. For him, and other students in his case, the attitude is that, in an open outdoor space, smoking is perfectly legal.

"I try to be respectful of others, but it all depends on what you want to do," Gibs said.