West Virginia University has developed a campus-wide tobacco policy prohibiting all tobacco products throughout campus and has made the policy available online for public comment through May 9.
The new policy is planned to go into effect July 1, 2013, and is a result of recommendations forwarded to WVU President James P. Clements by the University’s Smoking Task Force. It amends the current Health Sciences Center’s tobacco-free policy to apply to the entire University.
"This present draft policy is a modification of the original HSC policy," said C.B. Wilson, WVU associate provost and chair of the Smoking Task Force. "That campus has already gone tobacco free based on that policy, so this elaborates on that policy and brings the rest of the Morgantown campus into play."
The policy will apply to all areas of campus, and it "applies to all employees of WVU Board of Governors and all WVU students located at or visiting the West Virginia University Health Sciences Center campus. Visitors, patients, contractors and vendors shall also be required to comply with this policy." The phrase "Health Sciences Center" will be stricken from the original wording to encompass the entire University.
The introduction of a campus-wide tobacco policy was inspired by support from different areas within the University, Wilson said, and the Task Force collaborated with the community to develop a campus-wide initiative.
"There was considerable pressure from the student government, who felt strongly about creating a smoke-free campus, as well as a conversation about the issue in staff council," Wilson said. "The president established the Smoking Task Force, and part of our work was to interview city council, members of the board of health, individuals from the cancer center and others statewide. We also reviewed the policies of other campuses, particularly land-grant campuses, to get a sense of what was going on across the U.S., and this idea has really caught on."
Clements said the opportunity for staff and students to provide feedback to the University is important to understanding the scope of the policy.
"First, let me thank the Smoking Policy Task Force and those who provided input for the time, effort and thoughtfulness they put into this process and the revised policy," Clements said. "Now, it’s time for the campus community and public to offer any further insight during this comment period – and prior to submission to the Board of Governors. WVU officials welcome any and all feedback."
Wilson said although using tobacco products is not an illegal act, the University hopes to prevent its usage on campus to promote a healthier on-campus atmosphere.
"We are hopeful that once it is announced, people will be mindful that it is in play, and that benign social interaction will help to enforce it," he said. "I think we’d like to rely on people’s good will to do this and have people interact with one another."
The University plans to actively promote smoking cessation opportunities, Wilson said, and the Health Sciences Center is working on a formal cessation program available to tobacco users.
"At one point in my life, I smoked three packs a day." Wilson said. "My wife and I both quit cold turkey – it’s hard. I appreciate that. At some level, we are not asking people to quit so much as we are simply asking them not to smoke while they’re on campus."
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