Committee recommendation states Kent State should become tobacco-free, but no stance on e-cigs yet

Mackenzie Wallace October 7, 2014October 7, 2014 0 Comments Community, Enterprise, Health, Kent State smoking ban, Kent State University, smoking policy, Students, tobacco-free, Tobacco-Free Campus Advisory Board

Smoking policy signs are posted around some campus buildings, like this one at Bowman Hall, but other buildings have no signs at all.

Kent State’s current smoking policy isn’t followed by many or strictly enforced. In April, the Tobacco-Free Campus Advisory Committee was charged by President Lefton to gather input from the university community, examine the pros and cons of having a smoke-free campus and make a recommendation to his office for the Cabinet’s consideration on tobacco use on campus.

Tobacco-Free Campus Advisory Committee

President Lefton put the committee together, which consisted of students, faculty and staff. Greg Jarvie, Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs and co-chairman of the committee, said it was committed to being as unbiased as possible.

“The easiest thing would be to keep Kent’s smoking policy the same,” he said. “As you know, when you walk in the classrooms around here and buildings, nobody’s doing the 20-foot rule. Our current policy is not working.”

In Kent’s Code of Student Conduct, smoking as a violation is defined as “failure to comply with smoking prohibition in all university buildings and vehicles and where posting prohibits.” Smoking is not allowed inside or outside within 20 feet of buildings.

After conducting research and sifting through data, the recommendation was clear: Kent State should become a tobacco-free campus. According to the recommendation, the committee released a survey to Kent State University faculty, staff and students at all campuses in November 2012. The survey was used to gather information from the university community on tobacco use on campus and opinions on Kent campuses becoming tobacco-free.

The recommendation

The recommendation shows overall, 57 percent of participants agreed all of Kent’s campuses should be tobacco-free. Three options were discussed as possible recommendations, but the Tobacco-Free Campus Advisory Committee recommends the option to implement a tobacco-free policy by a date to be determined with a three-year phased-in approach.

Of the 57 percent of survey respondents who believe all of Kent State's campuses should be tobacco-free, 70 percent was faculty members, 60 percent was classified or unclassified staff members, 55 percent was undergraduate and graduate students, 58 percent was students who live on campus in residence halls, 70 percent was nonsmokers and 7 percent was smokers. — Of the 57 percent of survey respondents who believe all of Kent State’s campuses should be tobacco-free, 70 percent was faculty members, 60 percent was classified or unclassified staff members, 55 percent was undergraduate and graduate students, 58 percent was students who live on campus in residence halls, 70 percent was nonsmokers and 7 percent was smokers. *Statistics from the committee recommendation report.*

“There’s all sorts of challenges with that, and you know those are the things that we would have to work through at this point,” Jarvie said. “We did our work, we handed it off, it was talked at Cabinet level and President Lefton basically said he was at the end of his tenure, so he’d pass it off to the next president. So, that’s where we’re at.”

Jarvie said the committee had a lot of conversation on how the university could implement such a policy. He suggested starting with designated smoking spots, offering smoking cessation programs and becoming entirely smoke-free over time.

“I think it’s a little harsh if it was voted on today, and then tomorrow we say this is what we do,” Jarvie said. “We know that tobacco is an addictive drug, and folks that want to stop smoking know it’s not an easy thing. The smoking cessation programs are expensive, but at the end of the day, it’s really the best thing that someone can do. Everybody knows that, and nobody ever argues it.”

Jarvie said this recommendation is simply that. It is not a for sure thing. “President Warren will need to take it in front of the Board of Trustees,” he said. “They’ll vote on it and if they say yes, then we have to figure out an implementation plan.”

Use of e-cigarettes

Professor Kenne shares his thoughts on e-cigarettes

E-cigarettes are not included in the ban as they became popular after the committee ended, and there is no specific mention of them in the Code of Student Conduct although there has been discussion regarding them.

“University faculty and staff may set expectations, such as in syllabi, posting in or around classrooms, offices, meeting rooms, residence halls, or buildings, specifying a prohibition on e-cigarettes,” said Todd Kamenash, Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Student Conduct. “If such expectations are not adhered to, a student may be accused of ‘reasonable request’ in the Code and referred to the Office of Student Conduct.”

Deric Kenne, assistant professor in the College of Public Health, said states, and in some cases, local governments, have enacted their own regulations regarding e-cigarettes. “Some ban e-cigarette use in the same way that laws ban smoking,” he said. His lab has been conducting research on the e-cig topic, their risks and their popularity among college students.

“That is something that was all of a sudden coming in at the end of all this,” Jarvie said. “I don’t know if we, as in Kent, have a stance on e-cigarette use yet, because we haven’t had it in the committee work.” But, if Portage County were to pass laws regarding e-cigarettes, Jarvie said Kent State would comply with them.

Reporting Public Policy