When in the process of creating a tobacco-free campus, the tobacco taskforce looked at all options, and more importantly, looked at what other colleges and universities were doing successfully. I agree that the current 25-foot rule is not followed and not enforced.
Recently, a group of students from a movement sciences class drew 25-foot lines from high traffic doors. It was great to see that once smokers had a visual, they were followed the policy and stepped behind the 25-foot chalk lines. Enforcing a current policy that is not conducive to the overall health of all is simply not the answer.
We all know secondhand smoke and tobacco waste can be harmful. It is our job as a university to protect all students, staff, faculty and visitors. We are currently not doing that.
Those who attended our Healthy Campus Discussion and saw the amount of tobacco litter collected in less than 1 hour know we already have a tobacco litter problem on campus. The taskforce has agreed the best option to control tobacco litter is to go tobacco-free, while leaving the receptacles in place.
When it comes to enforcement, we looked to other campuses. Best practice models from other universities, most of them much bigger than ours, have found that with appropriate education and awareness, enforcement was not necessary. The majority of people do follow rules, especially with a sign telling them so.
Of course, like with any other change, there will be those few rule breakers. That is where we plan to call on students, staff and faculty to peer enforce the rule. The difference between going smoke free and tobacco free is the message.
If we as a university say that smoking cigarettes is bad, but using chew is okay, what kind of message are we sending? We, as a university, need to change this policy for the overall health of all.
The previous article mentioned e-cigarettes, which is a hot topic right now. E-cigarettes have not been found to be an effective cessation device, mainly because the companies that produce these products refuse to go through FDA regulation. These products have not been tested to be safe, and more importantly we simply do not know what the vapor contains and if it is a danger to those around e-cigarette users.
The University of Idaho needs to live up to its messages of “Inspiring Futures” and “A Legacy of Leading.” The university needs to look out for the health of the entire community on campus, not just the non-smokers. With any change there will be difficulties, which is why the university has established a tobacco taskforce to look at all sides of the issue and to come up with the best possible solutions for all involved. The taskforce is gaining knowledge from other universities, Idaho Public Health, The Fresh Air Campus Challenge, Project Filter and many others. We are also working closely with WSU, as they progress into having a tobacco-free campus by 2015 as well.
As a member of the tobacco taskforce, I know firsthand that we are looking at all options, and looking at other colleges that are smoke and tobacco-free to learn from them. With over 1,000 colleges now smoke free, it is time for UI to step into the future and protect the health of all members of the campus community.
Daniel Trautvetter can be reached at [email protected]