About 10 students gathered in a puff of smoke on Friday afternoon in an attempt to protest the Faculty Senate’s potential recommendation for the campus to be smoke-free by July 1, 2008.

Matt Schumake, sophomore biology major, wore a gray sleeveless shirt he spray-painted an hour before to read, “Who owns the air?”

If the privilege to smoke is taken away, “what’s next?” he asked. “Coffee?”

He wonders if the administration will ban alcohol in residence halls for 21-year-olds, too.

“It’s just ridiculous,” he said.

Schumake also pointed out that a smoking ban would be hard to enforce. He guessed extra police would be hired to patrol campus.

Schumake said he wanted to have more than a cloud of smoke in the quad. That’s why the group made five wearable signs and one additional hand-held sign.

On Tuesday, the day of the senate meeting, Kyle Gray and Eric Perez started a petition to support smoking on campus.

The two gathered 84 names in an hour and a half.

Gray, a junior biology major, said he heard by word of mouth that there was a discussion about a possible ban and decided to do something about it.

He also heard that the reasoning behind the ban was that students are trying to quit. The protest was held to prove that’s not the case.

“Their argument is smokers want to quit,” said Isaac Sandidge, chair of the shuttle bus advisory committee on the Student Senate. “I don’t want to quit.”

Sandidge organized the protest by telling people about it for two weeks informing them of his concerns in making Eastern a smoke-free campus.

“It’s active discrimination against on-campus smokers,” he said. “People that live on campus have to go off campus to smoke. That makes no sense.”

The number of protesters doubled after more than 20 minutes of calling out passers-by.

Some of the protesters said they felt smokers have a bad reputation and people think students who smoke have lower grade point averages.

Sandidge, with a GPA of 3.9, argues that is not the case along with Tyson Holder, senior psychology major.

Holder has a 4.0 GPA and thinks that if smoking was banned it would hurt his grades.

If he was unable to light up in between classes, he said, “It would make my concentration harder.”

Not everyone present was smoking.

Jessica Eyer, a sophomore business management major, was wearing a hand-made, poster board sign supporting the smokers and their decision to smoke on campus.

“I have no problem with it,” Eyer said. “It’s their right.”

Anthony Gagliano, a senior management major and resident assistant in Thomas Hall, is another non-smoker. His only concern is cigarette butts not making it to the smoke receptacle.

Gagliano wants a little bit more responsibility on the part of the smokers, he said.

“Looking at garbage, probably a majority is cigarette butts,” he said.

The protesters made sure they were not littering by having a bucket nearby.

Signs about smoking are currently up near class buildings, with “smoking ponds,” or stand-alone ash receptacles, nearby.

The current rule is that smoking is prohibited outside of designated smoking areas adjacent to buildings.

Smoking is prohibited in building entryways, but that’s where many of the smoke receptacles are located.

Students question the current policy and its seriousness.

“Before you try to erase it completely they need to enforce the current policy,” said Wade Pacak, a Thomas Hall resident assistant and junior English major.

Pacak said the policy is not clear when just using the signs and receptacles mostly because they’re near buildings.

“I see these little signs . where ever you see these signs there’s an ash tray close by,” he said.

If those were moved, and a designated area for smoking was provided, there wouldn’t be a problem, Eyer said.

The protestors realize not everyone appreciates puffs of smoke around them, but they offer to put it out if it bothered someone.

“If someone came up to me and sincerely said ‘it’s bothering me,’ I’d walk away or put it out,” Pacak said. “We’re not child-murdering fascists people think smokers are.”

However, he said sometimes people are rude and it makes him want to light up more.

“Other times they are just total jerks about it,” he said.

The Student Senate acknowledged the fact that smoking is still prevalent on campus.

They allowed a new smokers’ Recognized Student Organization, Tobacco Enthusiasts.

The group focuses more on smoking pipes and cigars, and appreciated the art of smoking, said Mario Podeschi, a graduate assistant for the English Department. The group chooses a night and meets to smoke a hookah, he said.

Podeschi said he considers the Faculty Senate as the majority, which is ignoring the minority – the smokers.

“We’re good people,” he said.

Podeschi came out to support fellow smokers.

“I’m kind of tired,” he said. “I was going to take a nap, but this is more important. It’s something I believe in.”

But by 4 p.m. – an hour after the protest began – the group was gone.