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News Release BOISE STATE NEWS / October 21, 2008 Boise State Announces Smoke-Free Campus Policy, Effective Fall Semester 2009 In order to promote health, wellness and safety, Boise State University will become a smoke-free campus beginning in the fall semester 2009 due to a new policy that prohibits smoking on all university owned and leased properties. The interior and exterior campus-wide smoking ban applies to all students, employees, contractors, volunteers and visitors on university-controlled property. The policy encompasses cigarettes, cigars, pipes and all other forms of smoke-generating products. “The primary reason for the smoke-free initiative is to maintain a healthy and safe environment conducive to learning for all students, faculty, staff and visitors,” said Ferd Schlapper, executive director of Health, Wellness and Counseling Services at Boise State. “Research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is very clear that smoking harms nearly every organ of the body and that there is no risk-free exposure level of secondhand smoke. “Additionally, the majority of smokers report that they want to quit smoking but are unsuccessful in their attempts each year. This policy, in addition to providing cessation classes and nicotine replacement therapies, will assist these smokers in their efforts,” Schlapper said. More than 160 colleges or universities currently have smoke-free campuses with no exemptions. Past surveys have indicated that 86 percent of Boise State students agree that universities should provide a smoke-free environment for its students. Ninety-two percent of Boise State students agree that the desire to breathe clean air should take precedent over a smoker’s desire to smoke. In the year ahead, Boise State’s Health, Wellness and Counseling Services will coordinate efforts to notify, educate and promote the smoke-free initiative. Free tobacco cessation classes are available in conjunction with the Central District Health Department. Free phone and internet cessation services, including free nicotine replacement therapy, are available through the Idaho QuitLine at 1-800-Quit-Now. More information is available at http://www.boisestate.edu/healthservices/news/smokefree/. “Most people, including smokers, understand the harmful effects of tobacco and we want to provide them with health tools and resources to have a tobacco-free lifestyle,” Schlapper said. “From assessments to counseling, we can help people quit smoking successfully and enhance the quality of life on our campus.” An existing directive from the Idaho State Board of Education and the Office of the Governor already designates buildings, facilities and areas occupied by state employees as non-smoking. Boise State is extending the non-smoking mandate to all university property because many non-smokers exposed to outdoor tobacco smoke suffer immediate symptoms such as breathing difficulties, eye irritation, headaches and nausea. In the last several years, Boise State’s student government, Faculty Senate, and the professional and classified staff organizations have spoken in favor of a smoke-free campus. The previous policy, originally written in 1988 and revised in 2001, banned smoking in all buildings, including residence halls. Each permanent building had a smoke-free entrance with a 30-foot perimeter and a receptacle provided at that distance. “All faculty, staff and students will have a collective responsibility to promote the safety and health of the campus community and therefore share in the responsibility of enforcement,” Schlapper said. “Individuals who are observed smoking will be reminded in a professional and courteous manner of the university policy.” Boise State reserves the right to initiate disciplinary procedures against any individual found to be in continuous violation of the new policy. -30- Media Contact: Frank Zang, University Communications, (208) 426-5391, frankzang@boisestate.edu Boise State University is “The New U Rising” with record student enrollment, new academic buildings, additional degree programs and a growing research agenda. Learn more at www.boisestate.edu.
Last reviewed on Wednesday, October 22, 2008
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