Smoking Policy Review

Committee RequestNovember 4, 2014

2000◦ Smoking prohibited within 20 feet from the entrance to residence halls.

Smoking allowed in offices. 2003

◦ Policy revised to prohibit smoking 20 feet from all buildings. 100% smoke-free in all university owned housing. Sale of tobacco products on campus is eliminated.

2006◦ Healthy Campus proposes a smoke-free campus.

2008◦ Policy adopted allows smoking in designated outdoor areas only.

2012◦ U.S. Department of Health and Human Services requests colleges and

universities review their policies and consider establishing tobacco free policies.

2013◦ President’s Council approves opening the review of the policy on smoking.

Brief History on Smoking Policy

Meetings initiated in Fall 2013 Comprised of 25 members including faculty,

staff, students, smokers and nonsmokers Spent past year reviewing the literature,

speaking with experts in the field and benchmarking

Smoking Policy Review Committee

Reducing exposure to secondhand smoke Reducing the prevalence of tobacco use Increasing the number of tobacco users who

quit Reducing the initiation of tobacco use

among young people Reducing tobacco-related morbidity and

mortality Reducing healthcare costs

Tobacco-Free Policies Evidence-based Public Health Intervention

1478 U.S. colleges and universities now have smoke-free policies◦ 976 are tobacco free◦ 91% increase in smoke-free, 74% increase in

tobacco-free policies in the last two years Four universities in the U.S. News and World

Report 2015 Top 25 National Universities are smoke-free or tobacco-free◦ Six others have medical/health school campuses

which are smoke-free or tobacco-free

Benchmarking

85% of undergraduates reported no nicotine use in past 30 days◦ 12% used cigarettes or other tobacco (mean 8.3

days)◦ 3% used e-cigarettes

87% of graduate students reported no nicotine use in the past 30 days◦ 12% used cigarettes (mean 12.1 days)◦ 1% used e-cigarettes

HealthyU Survey Results on Smoking Behavior

Smoking was associated with increased class level in undergraduates

40% of undergraduates report trying to quit or planning to quit

79% of graduates report trying or planning to quit

HealthyU Survey Results on Smoking Behavior

Consistent with community values for environmental sustainability and respect for others who live and work here

Eliminates cigarette butts from littering our campus

Eliminates costs associated with cleaning cigarette litter and maintaining 34 designated smoking areas

Environmental Considerations

Community discussions focused on “when” and “how” rather than “if”

Exploring support strategies to assist smokers who want or need to quit

Changing the Campus Conversation

The President’s and the ALC’s support for the Committee to initiate campus conversations with campus constituencies and governing bodies to inform the creation of a tobacco free campus policy

◦ Including an implementation timeline to effect this change in concert with relevant policy review processes

Committee’s Request

Please share your thoughts by completing a brief, anonymous survey:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Tobacco-Free-Campus

We would like to hear from you!