Ohio College President Says Butts Are Everywhere

YOUNGSTOWN (TDB) -- Youngstown State University President David Sweet says students are tossing cigarette butts on the ground all around the campus since the school removed ashtrays to comply with Ohio's new indoor smoking ban. He didn't call anybody an a-- over the butts. He is doing a slow burn over the ugly sight of litter.

Sweet has offered $100 of his own money to any YSU student who comes up with the best idea for getting the butts off his campus. He said he wants to stop littering, not stomp on students who smoke, and he's open to any creative possibilities. The Jambar, the student newspaper, is collecting the ideas at thejambar@gmail.com. "It's the little ideas that mean a great deal to me," Sweet said.

Apparently, nobody wants to start arresting litterbugs.

Still, the campus appears more than a little ragged without the ashtrays. The student newspaper said the smokers "are leaving a nasty trail behind them" and noted the student center was among several buildings in need of a serious cleanup.

"The goal now is for students to render ideas that would effectively stop the littering of cigarettes across campus. SmokeFreeOhio is the law now; ignoring it makes us criminals and makes our campus dirty," the paper wrote in an editorial. "Don't forget; the winner gets a 'Sweet' check."