To be or not to be smoke free
Andy Macdonald
Issue date: 1/29/10 Section: News
Whether you're a smoker or nonsmoker, you've probably noticed students enjoying the right to unwind with a cigarette on campus, but the possibility of seeing smokers on campus may soon be a thing of the past.
Everett Community College has been mulling over the possibility of becoming a tobacco-free campus. If such a change does occur, EvCC would be just the second college in Washington to move to a tobacco-free campus. The only college in the state that currently imposes the ban is Clark College in Vancouver, which has been tobacco-free since 2006.
Despite state voters electing to have smoking banned in public places and places of employment in 2006, Clark is the only college to adopt the rule. Public places are defined by the Washington State Legislature as any building or vehicle open to or used by the public regardless of public or private ownership, and regardless if an admission is charged.
Compared with the number of colleges and universities that have gone tobacco-free nationwide, Washington colleges are relatively smoke-friendly. In December, Time Magazine reported that more than 365 colleges and universities have instituted tobacco-free campuses, many citing the desire to model healthy behavior.
Right now there are four places smokers are allowed to smoke at at EvCC. They include the smoking shacks by Parks Student Union and Shuksan Hall, the open-air area between Parks and Jackson and inside your own vehicle. A planned renovation of Parks Student Union beginning in June of this year will take away the open-air smoking area and replace it with a new café at the beginning of Spring quarter 2011.
If the ban takes effect, tobacco use will be prohibited on all college property, including inside vehicles that are parked on college property.
A campus-wide survey was sent out to students, staff and faculty before the start of this quarter, and a tobacco-free campus was favored by a majority of those who responded. 817 individuals responded, with 481 of those favoring a tobacco-free campus. However, 555 respondents identified themselves as nonsmokers, meaning some nonsmokers don't feel it necessary to switch to a tobacco-free campus.
Everett Community College has been mulling over the possibility of becoming a tobacco-free campus. If such a change does occur, EvCC would be just the second college in Washington to move to a tobacco-free campus. The only college in the state that currently imposes the ban is Clark College in Vancouver, which has been tobacco-free since 2006.
Despite state voters electing to have smoking banned in public places and places of employment in 2006, Clark is the only college to adopt the rule. Public places are defined by the Washington State Legislature as any building or vehicle open to or used by the public regardless of public or private ownership, and regardless if an admission is charged.
Compared with the number of colleges and universities that have gone tobacco-free nationwide, Washington colleges are relatively smoke-friendly. In December, Time Magazine reported that more than 365 colleges and universities have instituted tobacco-free campuses, many citing the desire to model healthy behavior.
Right now there are four places smokers are allowed to smoke at at EvCC. They include the smoking shacks by Parks Student Union and Shuksan Hall, the open-air area between Parks and Jackson and inside your own vehicle. A planned renovation of Parks Student Union beginning in June of this year will take away the open-air smoking area and replace it with a new café at the beginning of Spring quarter 2011.
If the ban takes effect, tobacco use will be prohibited on all college property, including inside vehicles that are parked on college property.
A campus-wide survey was sent out to students, staff and faculty before the start of this quarter, and a tobacco-free campus was favored by a majority of those who responded. 817 individuals responded, with 481 of those favoring a tobacco-free campus. However, 555 respondents identified themselves as nonsmokers, meaning some nonsmokers don't feel it necessary to switch to a tobacco-free campus.
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