Before you light up at California State University, Monterey Bay, you might want to take a few extra steps away from campus buildings.

A new rule, signed into effect Friday by CSUMB President Peter Smith, bans smoking within 25 feet of doors, breezeways, windows and entrances of any structure.

"This isn't an attack against smokers," said CSUMB senior Jaylene Applebaum, a member of a campus pro-health group that spearheaded the stepped-up restriction. "This is really about trying to find a balance on our campus."

The new regulation replaces a previous campus rule that banned smoking within 10 or 15 feet of buildings, depending on the location, and adds an extra 5 feet to a state law that took effect in January, Applebaum said.

She is project coordinator of the five-member CSUMB group Campus Advocacy and Mentorship Program, or CAMP.

CAMP has been working to establish the 25-foot smoking ban for more than two years.

Applebaum, an ex-smoker, said CAMP wants to "create a healthy environment on campus and also to spread awareness about tobacco companies."

CSUMB student and smoker Jacob Dovalina said he doesn't see the point in the new policy.

"I really don't have a huge problem with the 25-foot policy itself," Dovalina said. "But the policy before was 20 feet, so what's this 5 feet trying to prove?"

Violators will be given courtesy notices to stop by CAMP members, Applebaum said. Repeat offenders can be given a misdemeanor ticket by campus police -- the same penalty as skateboarding on campus.

The misdemeanor provision allowed by the CSUMB rule is not written into the state smoking law, she said. But Applebaum said the new policy isn't about punishment.

"What we are going to be doing (is) heading up an educational campaign about the policy," she said.

CAMP plans to periodically give small gifts to smokers who abide by the rule, Applebaum said. Some CSU schools already have the 25-foot ban, while others are working toward it, she said. CSUMB spokeswoman Holly White said she hasn't seen any organized protests regarding the new rule, but that might be because students don't yet know about it.