Q. What do I have to gain from a tobacco-free campus policy?
A. A tobacco-free campus policy offers greater accessibility and a safer, cleaner, and more healthful environment for students, staff, faculty and visitors. Colleges can save money on cleaning and maintenance costs. They can also gain a marketing and recruiting advantage, as the majority of staff and students would prefer a working and learning environment free of secondhand smoke.
Q. Smoking is a legal adult behavior. Don't people have the right to smoke on their campus?
A. There is no "right to smoke" under any federal, state or local law. The college owns its buildings and grounds and has the right and responsibility to enact policies to reduce injuries and illness by eliminating hazards and unsafe acts and conditions from its premises. Tobacco-free policies are not about forcing individuals to change their lifestyle or behavior. Rather, they intend to protect the greater campus community and college interests.
Q. Should we provide designated smoking areas on campus?
A. Colleges are finding that smoking areas are not an effective solution to the secondhand smoke problem. A completely tobacco-free campus policy is the easiest type of policy to communicate, implement and enforce. And it's the only way to eliminate secondhand smoke.
Q. Does it cost anything to go tobacco-free?
A. There may be initial labor costs associated with removing smoking areas and changing signage to communicate the new policy. Funding for tobacco-free campus signage and promotional materials is available for Oregon community colleges through the American Lung Association of Oregon. Materials are available through the Oregon Tobacco Education Clearinghouse for colleges to promote the free Oregon Tobacco Quit Line a telephone help line for people who would like assistance in quitting smoking or managing their nicotine cravings while on campus.
Q. Do tobacco-free campus policies impact enrollment?
A. Surveys consistently show that all other things being equal, most students would prefer to attend a tobacco-free college. There is no evidence that enrollment has declined at any of the more than 100 colleges and universities in the U.S. that have gone tobacco-free. One early leader, Clark College in Vancouver, Washington, has seen enrollment increase every quarter since going tobacco-free in 2003.
Q. Will a tobacco-free policy impact events that bring visitors to the campus?
A. Yes, it will make the campus a more attractive venue for these events. In fact, Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, Oregon, recently removed smoking shelters from its main campus mall upon request of the annual Mt. Hood Jazz Festival. As the public's expectation for environments free of secondhand smoke continues to grow, community event organizers will favor tobacco-free campuses when choosing event locations.
Q. How do we enforce a tobacco-free campus policy?
A. A tobacco-free campus policy can be enforced just like any other college policy. Education, intensive initial communication, and an emphasis on positive intervention and peer enforcement have been found to be effective in generating voluntary compliance. Colleges may use standard disciplinary procedures or small fines for policy violations. No college has ever had to hire additional security staff to enforce a tobacco-free campus policy.
Q: What is the difference between smokefree and tobacco-free?
A. Tobacco-free includes the use of any tobacco product. Tobacco companies are increasingly marketing "smokeless" tobacco products for use where smoking is prohibited. In addition to the known health hazards of these products for the user, colleges are concerned about sanitary issues such as chew spit on sidewalks, in water fountains, and in classroom trash cans, so more colleges are choosing to be tobacco-free.