BSU going smoke-free, but will it be enforced?
BOISE - Got a drag?
Well, don't think about asking that at Boise State next year.
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.
This policy includes all campus-wide events. Smokers who attend football games at Bronco Stadium will no longer be able to smoke.
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. For more information, click HERE
_____
Do you agree with this decision? Sign up to comment below and let us know what you think!
