COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO GO TOBACCO-FREE STARTING JAN. 1

   
The St. Charles Community College Board of Trustees has approved a new policy that prohibits tobacco use on campus. The policy takes effect beginning Jan. 1, 2007, and the college will kick off an informational campaign this fall aimed at promoting a healthy campus environment.
    
Trustees unanimously approved the new policy at the July 25 meeting. The board had received the policy proposal last month from administrators following a report and recommendation by a college-wide task force. Smoking has been prohibited for many years inside college buildings, but the new policy would prevent tobacco use anywhere on campus.
    
“It’s the right step to take because we are responsible for providing a healthy and safe environment in which to learn and to work,” said John McGuire, college president, in presenting the policy. Board members agreed.
    
SCC will become the third community college statewide to ban tobacco. Ozark Technical Community College in Springfield led the way in August 2003, followed by State Fair Community College, Sedalia, in June 2006.  Locally, a number of hospitals have announced they are banning smoking on their premises and other public officials in various municipalities also have discussed the issue.
    
Tobacco products affected by the community college policy include, but are not limited to, cigarettes, cigars, pipes, and smokeless tobacco. Policy statement signage will be posted at all campus entrances and other prominent places, according to college officials.
    
The college had studied the issue over several years, considering the best way to implement a tobacco-free policy. The recommendation by the most recent task force coincided with a report from U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona that said breathing any amount of someone else’s tobacco smoke harms non-smokers.
    
The college frequently receives complaints from people who say they are bothered by smoke as they enter and exit buildings because smokers congregate near the doors.  Keeping cigarette butts and other refuse off the campus grounds also became a problem, and there have been several occasions of leaves catching fire near outdoor smoking receptacles, college officials said.
    
“We have been increasingly concerned about the health of people on our campus and the link between tobacco use and health issues,” the task force report reads. “We have struggled with second-hand smoke, smoke odor and congestion in building entrances, and with tobacco-related debris littering the grounds. Nationwide, smoking claims the lives of 1,100 people each day, and 3,000 non-smokers die each year from lung cancer related to second-hand smoke.”
    
The task force laid out a timeline for events and actions that will lead up to the policy taking effect on Jan. 1 and implementation thereafter. In the fall 2006 semester, the college will create brochures, posters, banners and other promotional materials with a “Healthy Air Promotes Healthy Lives” theme, said James Benedict, vice president for student services.
    
An implementation committee will work to disseminate information during student and employee orientations, special events, and in campus newsletters. A Smoking Cessation Week will be planned in conjunction with the Great American Smokeout on Nov. 16, including seminars, quit-smoking kits, and involvement from local area health care providers, Benedict said.  The health and wellness activities will continue well into the coming year and beyond, he said, with the involvement of students, faculty, and staff.
    
“Implementation of this policy is the shared responsibility of everyone on campus, and everyone will reap the benefits of a healthier and safer atmosphere in which to learn and to work,” Benedict said.

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