State votes to smoke out SUNY smokers

SUNY schools may be tobacco-free by 2014 after the system's board of trustees voted yesterday to ban smoking on every campus. The new policy, if approved, would prohibit smoking across the state's 64 institutions. Lawmakers say the vote was cast because of tobacco's role as a serious public health issue. Some students say they understand the measure, but insist it will be ineffective. "It's been imposed on restaurants and bars, and they're still smoking," says Jade Setias, a graduate student at SUNY Albany. Even some legislators say the proposal could alienate current and potential students, and that smoking is not as widespread as depicted.