Designated area for smoking at the rectorate building. (WARTAKEMA/Ammara Azwadiena)

Warta Kema—In response to the Rector’s Regulations number 21 of 2024 regarding the smoke-free policy at Universitas Padjadjaran (Unpad) and Regulations of the Ministry of Health, in December 2024, Unpad has started providing Instalasi Tempat Merokok (Smoking Shelter) around campus to ensure smokers smoke in a designated area only. This action is taken to encourage smokers to be more disciplined.

Facilities available within the smoking shelter. (WARTAKEMA/Ammara Azwadiena)

The Smoking shelters have already been built at certain places around campus. So far, there are six places, which are the Rectorate Building, Alfa X, Faculty of Communication Sciences (Fikom), Faculty of Law (FH), Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB), and Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (Fisip). To fulfill the needs of smokers, each smoking shelter consists of trash bins, ashtrays, and chairs. It is also provided with roofs and frosted glass walls to prevent smokers from getting exposed to rain or heat from the sun. The main purpose of providing this smoking shelter is to prevent cigarette litter and those who do not smoke will not be exposed to cigarette smoke. 

Although the smoking shelter was built in December 2024, not many people have already used it. According to Edward Henry, the Director of Facilities, Infrastructure, and Asset Management at Universitas Padjadjaran, no one was seen using the facility in the first two weeks after it was built. He also stated that the people’s reluctance to use the facility is related to their prior smoking habits. They are unaccustomed to smoking in a designated area, and it will take some time for them to adapt.

Smoking shelter located at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences. (WARTAKEMA/Ammara Azwadiena)

This facility also receives various feedback from students and educational staff at Unpad. One of the educational staff at Fikom Unpad hopes that power outlets can be added to the facility so people can also work there. 

Muhammad Fityatal Haq, one of the students from the Faculty of Communication Sciences, mentioned that he supports the new facility. 

“The good side is smokers have their place to smoke, so they do not smoke carelessly. From what I have heard from my friends who smoke, the capacity of the facility is too small to be able to accommodate many smokers at Fikom,” Fityatal explains. 

“(I) want to add some advice, the facility itself is already great. It helps smokers to smoke in a designated area. Maybe the facility can be a bit bigger, and maybe the facility can be added in other spots too, so it can accommodate more people,” he added.

Three students from the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Sephira Aurora Purnama, Kintania Ramadeniza Ahryan, and Wening Kinasih Putu Arga, stated that the usage of the facility is not optimal because many people still smoke carelessly. The ratio between the smokers and the designated area for smoking has a huge gap. There are more smokers rather than the designated area for smoking. They also hope Unpad can release stricter regulations regarding smoking and they hope smokers can be more aware of their surroundings.

Addressing the feedback from educational staff and students, Edward stated that if the facility is too comfortable, the main purpose of the smoking shelter will shift.

“If the facility is too comfortable, people will end up working there. The facility is humanized, but that does not mean it needs to be too comfortable.”

Reporter: Syafina Ristia Putri

Editor: Ammara Azwadiena

Foto: Ammara Azwadiena