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The Pioneer LogFebruary 3, 2012Opinion

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DSAs are meant  for socializing not silence

BY TAYLOR SIBLEY

Staff Writer

I take oense to this wholeDSA situation for a myriad of 

reasons, but I’ll start with this.First, the very denition of 

a DSA—a Designated Smok-ing Area—where campus o -cials have DESIGNATED sevenstrategically placed areas whereall smokers are forced to congre-gate. at means all smokers onthis campus of 1,700 studentsmust converge to these few spotsto enjoy their cigarettes and eachother’s company, but apparently not too loudly.

Secondly, smoking is an in-herently social activity, whichcontinues to exacerbate the irra-

tionality of concentrating a socialactivity to a few spots on campusand then getting fussy when peo-ple “gather” and socialize there.

Student smokers were not re-sponsible for designating thesesmoking areas. How can they beblamed for poor planning by campus o cials?

I nd it amusing that theILLUSTRATION BY SAMANTHA SARVET

bench was removed by Facilitiesfrom the Platt DSA, promptly replaced by students, and thenquickly removed again. I don’tsmoke tobacco, but I will per-sonally help carry a bench to thatDSA strictly on principle.

I do not live near the PlattDSA, so I cannot genuinely com-ment how much or how little thenoise may bother me when I’mtrying to sleep. But as a collegestudent I can comment on how this is college. You are no longerin the comfort of your above-garage loft. You live in buildings  with tons of other people thateat, shower, sleep, study and par-ty all at dierent times, in plac-es that have little to no sound-proong. ings get a little loud?

Tell someone yourself to shutthe fuck up or get over it. Wouldyou rather go to a school full of dull, uninteresting stupidfaces or would you rather go to a school where people are so friendly, funand interesting they stay up forhours outside in the cold enjoy-ing each other’s minds? I’ll takesound over silence any day.