Campus considers going tobacco free

College is when some smokers begin a lifelong habit, but those who attend the University may soon have to take that habit elsewhere. Five University groups are discussing and developing their points of view on the possibility of the campus being tobacco free. The idea of a tobacco use policy on campus came about through an Ohio Board of Regents resolution passed July 23 encouraging colleges and universities to become tobacco free.

The Board of Regents, located in Columbus, serves as a coordinating body for Ohio higher education and is responsible for advising the Chancellor, leader of the University system of Ohio, on issues of statewide importance affecting higher education, according to its website. The five groups, including Administrative Staff Council, Classified Staff Council, Faculty Senate, Undergraduate Student Government and Graduate Student Senate, will hopefully submit their decision to President Mary Ellen Mazey by Thanksgiving, said Jill Carr, senior associate vice president of Student Affairs and dean of students.

The decision to go tobacco free or to stay with the current policy may come down to culture. “I think you’re starting to see a different culture movement,” said USG President Alex Solis. Faith Yingling, director of Wellness, said Ohio culture has shifted to tobacco and smoking policies and that similar initiatives have been going on nationwide for a while now. “As more states and places implement smoking-related policies, it seems only natural that places like college and universities would take up those initiatives as well,” Yingling said.

Twenty-two percent of students at the University use cigarettes, according to the American College Health Association’s National College Health Assessment data report in Fall 2010. “Certainly there’s more tobacco use than we’d like to see,” Yingling said. Departments at the University have also done surveys of the students. Eric Teske, staff assistant in the department of Recreation and Wellness, surveyed 691 graduate and undergraduate students in a variety of departments and majors. Forty-three percent believe campus should be smoke-free and 21.1 percent are frequently bothered by smoke at the University, according to the survey, which was done in April. Yingling and Teske plan to survey faculty and staff next.

“We try to make sure we’re getting an accurate portrayal of what students want and what faculty and staff want,” Yingling said. The positives of a tobacco-free policy would include protecting the air people breathe, reducing secondhand smoke and improving people’s long term and short term health, Yingling said. Carr said the positives concerning health are obvious, but the way students feel about the possible policy may not be as simple. “I think we’re all aware of the health related issue of a person who makes the decision to smoke,” Carr said. “The cons are that a smoker may feel that they’re losing some personal right on campus.”

There is an emphasis on health and wellness at the University, Mazey said. “Having a no smoking policy really supports that health and wellness focus of our campus,” Mazey said. Yingling said if a policy were to go into place, the University would offer programs to help people quit. “We’d work hand in hand with the counseling center and the Student Health Service to make that happen,” she said. “Certainly we want to provide those resources for those who want to quit.” There are typically a fair amount of smokers who are already trying to quit, and since it’s a long process, Teske said he hopes the policy would be helpful.

"Hopefully it will be extra motivation for them with University support, hopefully they will and be able to get some kind of help,” he said. There is currently an alcohol and other drug specialist at the University with whom students can meet for free to discuss addiction, Teske said. Mazey said she hopes the decision to be tobacco free or to stay with the current policy will be made this academic year.

USG recently had a meeting about the possibility of a tobacco-free campus, Solis said there were mixed opinions. “I think it’s going to be a tough process if the University chooses to go with this initiative,” Solis said. Once the constituent groups have submitted their decisions, depending on the decision, a committee will be formed to draft a policy, Carr said. Carr will chair the committee, which will include two members from each constituent group, she said.