In New Jersey, they'll be puffing no more:
New Jersey allows smoking in bars, restaurants and some office buildings. But it has taken a step to limit smoking with a ban on lighting up in all college and university dormitories in the state, signed into law on Monday by Acting Gov. Richard J. Codey.Saying the law would improve the safety of all students, Mr. Codey said smoking in dormitories was the second leading cause of fire injuries on campuses. During the signing at Drew University in Madison, where Mr. Codey's oldest son, Kevin, is a junior, the governor said the law was the most comprehensive academic ban in the country...
This is the second step in recent years to make dormitories safer. A fire at Seton Hall University in South Orange in 2000 killed three freshmen and prompted legislation to install sprinkler systems in all of the state's dormitories. The authorities said the fire started when several students ignited a paper banner in a lounge.
The horrific Seton Hall incident turned out to be arson, not an accident, but if the sprinkler systems are just now getting up to date, I suppose it's not a bad idea for cigarettes to be verboten.
Posted by kswygert at August 23, 2005 09:04 AM