THE MOVEMENT TO MAKE COLLEGE CAMPUSES TOBACCO-FREE

Presentation at OSU-IT Okmulgee, Oklahoma August 24, 2009 By Ty Patterson Director The Center of Excellence for Tobacco-Free Campus Policy Ozarks Technical Community College Springfield Missouri

ABOUT OTC AND THE CENTER OF EXCELLENCE FOR TOBACCO-FREE CAMPUS POLICY

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Ozarks Technical Community College became tobacco-free in 2003 Overview of OTC The Center of Excellence for Tobacco-Free Campus Policy est. 2004 Purposes of the Center of Excellence Services provided Experience with other institutions (Previous visit to OSU-IT) The importance of each institution’s uniqueness

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

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Higher education institutions have restricted tobacco use for decades.

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Lack of enforcement of building perimeter and designated area tobacco policies and increasing evidence of the problem of exposure to second hand smoke (SHS) are primary reasons for making campuses tobacco-free.

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In the aftermath of Virginia Tech and other problems on campuses there is growing interest in teaching respect for others--a key component of tobacco-free campus policy.

REASONS OVER 150 COLLEGES HAVE ADOPTED TOBACCO-FREE POLICIES SINCE 2004

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Area restrictions don’t work Exposure to SHS is unsafe Tobacco litter defaces the environment Access for individuals with disabilities is threatened Tobacco use is inherently disrespectful of others Those under age are given tacit approval to use tobacco Tobacco use conflicts with a commitment to wellness Helps those who want to quit using tobacco Contributes to institutional sustainability Saves money through reduction in tobacco litter Prepares students for tobacco-free work places

KEYS TO SUCCESFUL TOBACCO-FREE CAMPUS POLICY

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Know why you are adopting the policy Set timeline for policy implementation Tell employees, students, community why Provide cessation help Establish clear expectations of compliance Explain consequences for non-compliance Be respectful to all Repeat why the policy is being adopted Repeat expectations and consequences Use all media available Thank everyone for their cooperation Teach, teach, teach….

CHANGING THE CAMPUS CULTURE A new and even more restrictive tobacco policy with the same method of enforcement is destined to fail Self enforcement is the only method which will assure success Teaching self enforcement prepares students for the work world Respect for others and the environment becomes a hallmark of the institution No enforcement method is 100% effective

COMPLIANCE WITH INSTITUTIONAL POLICY To successfully implement and sustain a tobacco policy it is important to nurture a campus culture of self enforcement. You may ask, how do you nurture such a culture? The answer is by having employees model compliance; and by teaching students that non-compliance with policy is not an option! Failure to teach this is to teach failure in the world for which we prepare our students.

TEACHING COMPLIANCE

Having a policy regarding compliance may be helpful in establishing expectations and explaining why compliance is important. The following is an example of such a policy.

TEACHING COMPLIANCE Students, employees and visitors are required to comply with duly established institutional policies. These policies are available in Student Services, Human Resources, the Library and on the college’s web site. Failure to comply with Board of Trustees policies may result in disciplinary action including dismissal or loss of access to facilities and programs. Individuals have the right to seek policy changes and/or propose new policies through established processes outlined in the student and faculty handbooks and available on the web site. Until the Board of Trustees votes to change established policies or to adopt new policies, respectful compliance with current policies is required.

TOBACCO POLICY AND CRITICAL THINKING If the months leading up to implementation of the tobacco policy are used effectively to educate the campus community, critical thinking will be encouraged. Policies teach and good teaching develops critical thinking. Thus, questions such as what is the right thing to do about tobacco use on campus; and how best do we promote respect for others; for example, will generate critical thinking. In my experience higher education institutions do not normally take time to explain why they are adopting policies or their expectations for compliance. As a result, important learning opportunities are missed.

RESOURCES/REFERENCES Andrew Epstein, ALA of Oregon, [email protected]

Kim Homer-Vagadori, California Youth Action Network, [email protected]

Denise Ross, Stanly College, Albemarle North Carolina, [email protected]

Danielle Dill, University of Central Oklahoma, [email protected]

Linda Reisser, Portland Community College, [email protected]

John Laws, Ivy Tech-Lafayette Indiana, [email protected]

Margaret Hvatum, St. Louis Community College, [email protected]

Mary Alice Serafini, University of Arkansas, [email protected]

Additional Resources/References available at www.otc.edu/about/tobaccofree.php