The School of Management administration recently sent out a stern email to remind students that smoking outside the school is not allowed and an entranceway littered with cigarette butts sends the wrong message to visitors, after students and faculty raised complaints.

SMG Dean Louis Lataif sent the email to all SMG students in late February stating the school had received complaints about smoking immediately outside the building’s doors. He urged students to use the designated smoking areas clearly marked away from the entrance.

State law prohibits the spread of smoke into a nonsmoking facility, Lataif said in a phone interview, though he did not include this fact in the email to students. The nonsmoking policy has existed since the school was built, but because many new students enter to the school each semester not everyone may not be aware of the policy.

“Smoking outside the school’s doors is not legal, not proper, not even respectful to other people,” Lataif said.

Lataif also said in the email that smoking outside SMG presents a negative image to the school’s external clients, including recruiters.

“If you are a visitor and you walk into an ocean of cigarette butts and matches, you’re not going to have a pretty good impression of the school,” Lataif said. “The school’s reputation affects the students in the school.”

SMG Institute for Technology Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Director Jonathan Rosen said the building is “beautiful to work in,” and SMG would like to maintain the appearance with a smoke-free environment.

“The email was not establishing new policies, it was just a reminder to stop smoking after increasing complaints from students and visitors,” Rosen said. “Smoking is neither allowed nor encouraged in our building — a building students are proud of and care for its maintenance.”

SMG freshman Nitika Gaiha said she agrees with restrictions on smoking.

“It’s good that they are helping their youth, especially the people who feel uncomfortable with secondhand smoking,” Gaiha said.

SMG sophomore Caroline Eriss said she is indifferent.

“I don’t mind if there is a policy regarding smoking or not,” Eriss said. “It doesn’t really affect me.”

SMG sophomore Saiban Chug said she thinks people should recognize the designated smoking areas out of respect for the school.

“I think smoking outside the building affects the prestige of the school, since SMG has built an image over the past so many years.” she said. “I guess smoking right outside the doors degrades that image, and it’s basically disrespectful to the SMG community and the school itself.”

Shekhar Sharma, an SMG junior, said he agreed with the smoking restrictions because the territory is a public space.

SMG sophomore Thomas Dworetsky echoed Sharma’s sentiments.

“No one wants to walk into a cloud of smoke and there is plenty of room on the side of the building to smoke,” Dworetsky said.