“Effective Friday, Oct. 4, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi will ban the use of electronic cigarettes. The ban extends to all campus facilities and grounds, including garages and parking lots. It also includes any facilities that house TAMU-CC or A&M System offices (Art Museum of South Texas, Antonio E. Garcia Arts and Education Center, and Flour Bluff Building).”

This statement was released by the university early this morning at 9:15 a.m. The statement said the decision was made following a CDC report and other A&M campus bans. The CDC released a report on Sept. 24, 2019 that reported 805 lung injury cases and 12 deaths related to vaping.

“As Chancellor Sharp explained,” said TAMU-CC President Kelly Quintanilla in a press release, “the rapid onset of lung illnesses and deaths related to e-cigarettes is alarming and we do not want to take any unnecessary chances with the health of our students, faculty and staff.”

This ban only affects vapes on campus, not cigarettes. Students are already expressing mixed reactions to this ban.

“I started vaping in 2008 after my mom passed away from lung cancer,” said Antelmo Aguirre, a senior graphic design major. “… Even with all of the negatives like how douchey it can seem, and with the news of people development serious lung illness, I would rather do it (vape) than smoking tobacco. But I don’t fool myself into thinking it’s safe.”

“I think it’s really important, but also if they’re going to ban vaping and e-cigarettes,” said Alyssa Brodeur, senior media production major, “then they need to ban regular cigarettes as well because I think it’s kind of unfair. You can’t just ban some of it, you have to ban all of it because it’s still the same thing.”

“It would bother me a month ago a lot, but I think it’s definitely the right choice,” said Turner Ellis, a senior mechanical engineer. “The reason why I quit (vaping) was because I hated the way it made my lungs feel, and we were like test subjects with the vaping. We know how cigarettes are, but we don’t know if vaping is any better.”

Some students are questioning campus’s ability and right to enforce this new ban.

“I think there’s no point in doing it because people will still smoke cigarettes,” said Bailey Ayers, junior in acting/directing. “People will still vape no matter what around the campus.”

“They knew the risks when they started (smoking),” said Kendall Canez, junior biomedical sciences. “If they want to do that to themselves, that’s the freedom of America.”

The official ban begins tomorrow.



What do you think about this ban? Let us know in the comments below or on any of our social media @islandwavestogo. If you want to read more about vaping and the question of safety versus rights, pick up our latest issue that can be found anywhere on campus.