Students who smoke at the University of Miami will soon have to pay a $50-per-semester fee if they get their health insurance through the school's health plan. Some believe it is the school's first step to making the Coral Gables campus smoke-free. The school's medical campus is already a cigarette-free zone.
Most of the student smokers CBS4 talked to didn't seem to mind the fee. "If you can afford to spend the money on cigarettes... then you can afford the $50." Plus, really, what's $50 a semester at a school that can cost you more than $30,000 a year? Less than your average textbook, that's for sure.
Considering most of the costlier effects of cigarette smoking happen in the long term, not when smokers are young, like many students, it does seem more like a dissuasive measure. [CBS4]
- Speaking of UM, a former student who is banned from all campuses after harassing numerous officials was seen at the school this week. [Hurricane]
- A Doral business owner is asking for help in finding a thief who broke in and stole two laptops and a flat-screen TV set. [WSVN]
- A man who was convicted of sexually assaulting a 91-year-old woman in December will serve 14 years in jail. [WSVN]
