SCU Smoke Free Proposal

Proposal to Enact a “Smoke-Free Campus” Policy for
Santa Clara University (11/1/12)
INTRODUCTION
Colleges and universities throughout the United States are strengthening their tobaccouse policies to protect the health and well-being of their students, employees, and visitors. In a recent commentary in the NCI Cancer Bulletin, Dr. Howard Koh, Assistant
Secretary for Health of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, wrote that
"Colleges and universities can take the next step in protecting the health of their students and inspiring change through the adoption of smoke-free and tobacco-free campuses. To date, more than 700 colleges and universities, representing an estimated 17% of institutions of higher learning nationwide, have committed to smokefree or tobacco-free campus policies. It is my hope that the launch of the Tobacco-Free
College Campus Initiative will encourage all institutions of higher learning to take action.
It is time for us to end the epidemic leading to the single most preventable cause of death in this nation."i
SCU’s current smoking-policy, which is based on City of Santa Clara ordinance 1654, states that “Smoking is prohibited at all times in all University facilities that house offices, work areas, classrooms, or residence rooms. Members of the community who choose to smoke must maintain a distance of 25 feet from any building openings (doors, windows, air intakes)” [Student Handbook 2012-13, p. 49].ii Despite these prohibitions, second-hand smoke exposure is common in outdoor areas on campus, smoke drifts into buildings due to violation of the distance restrictions, and cigarette litter is a persistent problem. As a result, dozens of SCU students, faculty, staff, alumni, and other parties strongly recommend that SCU adopt a 100% smoke-free policy. On April
19, 2012, the SCU Student Senate passed a resolution in support of a smoke-free campus. The purpose of the smoke-free campus policy would be to provide a safe and healthy environment, free of second-hand smoke and toxic tobacco-related litter, for all faculty, staff, students, and visitors of Santa Clara University.

BACKGROUND AND SCIENTIFIC RATIONALE
Decrease Exposure to Second-Hand Tobacco Smoke
· Exposure to second-hand smoke is the third leading cause of preventable death in the United States, killing over 50,000 non-smokers each year.iii
· The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has found second-hand tobacco smoke to be a risk to public health and has classified it as a group A carcinogen, the most dangerous class of carcinogen.iv
· The California Air Resources Board has categorized second-hand smoke as a toxic air-contaminant, a category that includes diesel exhaust.v

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· Most recently, the Surgeon General of the United States concluded that there is no risk-free level of exposure to second-hand smoke and that establishing smoke-free environments is the only proven way to prevent exposure.vi
Smoke-Free Policies Change Tobacco-Use Behavior
· Comprehensive tobacco-use policies (e.g., a smoke-free policy) have been found to change tobacco usage in workplaces.
· A study published in the British Medical Journal (2002) concluded that tobacco users who worked in a completely smoke-free environment were more likely to quit than their counterparts working in areas without strong smoke-free policies.
Additionally, individuals working in smoke-free environments were more likely to decrease the number of cigarettes they smoked throughout the day.vii
· Smoke-free campus policies are proven to decrease current smoking prevalence in students, decrease the amount of cigarettes used by those who continue to smoke, positively influence students’ perceptions of peer smoking, change social norms around tobacco use, and increase favorable attitudes towards regulation of tobacco. These findings are consistent with a study that found that college students who lived in smoke-free residences were more likely to be nonsmokers.viii Protect Workers Not Protected by State Law
· More than 90% of Californians approve of a law to protect workers from secondhand smoke exposure in the workplace.ix Yet, many individuals who work on campus—such as those who care for buildings and grounds, facilities, and campus security—are still exposed regularly to second-hand smoke.
Eliminate Tobacco Litter on Campus
· A study of litter at UC San Diego and San Diego State University revealed that in
80 volunteer hours, 31,410 butts were collected at these institutions, for a rate of
380 butts per volunteer per hour.x Despite our campus’ reputation for beauty,
SCU students nearly replicated this feat in February 2012, when six undergraduates collected 1558 cigarette butts in one hour on the SCU campus (~ 260 butts/hour/student).
· Cigarette waste is extremely toxic to our environment. The filter of a cigarette is designed to trap the toxic chemicals in the tobacco smoke and prevent them from entering into the smoker’s body. The filter, when wet, releases the thousands of toxic chemicals back into the environment. These filters and chemicals are washed into waterways by storm water runoff.xi
· By eliminating tobacco litter, colleges are also decreasing fire risk on campus, decreasing the cost and time associated with cleaning up tobacco litter, and making campuses more beautiful.
Promote Student Success
· Historically, most tobacco users started smoking or using smokeless tobacco before the age of 18. Over the last ten years, this pattern of new addiction has been changing. A recent study found one-fifth of smokers reported starting after
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the age of 18. Among individuals who started using tobacco before 18, regular or daily smoking was not established until the ages of 20 or 21.xii
· Internal tobacco-industry documents support this proposition and argue the transition from experimentation to a “confirmed” smoker can occur up to the age of 25. The college years have been identified as a time of increased risk for smoking initiation and transition into regular tobacco use.xiii
· As students graduate, they are often transitioning into tobacco-free environments. In California, the majority of hospital and K-12 campuses are
100% smoke-free or tobacco-free. Across the nation, worksites, college campuses, health care centers, and outdoor recreational facilities are adopting comprehensive tobacco-use policies.
Smoke-free Policy Trends
· In California, over 80 public colleges and universities have significantly stronger policies than CA State Law (no smoking within 20 feet of public-building openings). Although SCU’s policy follows the city ordinance that prohibits smoking within 25 feet of building openings, it still allows most outdoor smoking.
In contrast, the University of California system recently enacted a policy ensuring that all campuses will be tobacco-free, indoors and outdoors, by 2014.
· In Santa Clara County, all of the community colleges prohibit smoking on campus or limit smoking to designated areas in parking lots.
· Nationally, over 650 colleges are 100% smoke-free including large universities such as the University of California, San Francisco; the University of Michigan; and the University of Oregon.
· Currently, over 250 colleges are 100% tobacco-free, a sharp increase from 75 colleges in late 2008.
· Colleges with policies allowing smoking only in designated areas or parking lots are transitioning to 100% tobacco-free campuses.
· More and more colleges are considering “tobacco-free” policies over “smokefree” policies to combat the use of smokeless tobacco on campus (our proposal prohibits the sale—but not the usage—of smokeless tobacco).
· College campuses, as well as cities and counties across the state, are updating the policy definitions of “smoking” to include the operation of e-products and
“smoke” to include vapor emitted from e-products.
National Recommendations
The American College Health Association (ACHA) recommends that colleges and universities: · Prohibit the use of tobacco products on all college and university grounds, college/university owned or leased properties, and in campus-owned, leased, or rented vehicles;
· Provide and/or promote cessation services/resources for all members of the academic community;
· Offer and promote prevention and education initiatives that actively support non-use and address the risks of all forms of tobacco use; and

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· Plan, maintain, and support effective and timely implementation, administration, and consistent enforcement of all college/university tobaccorelated policies, rules, regulations, and practices.xiv
PROPOSED POLICY STATEMENT
Effective two years from the date of approval, Santa Clara University will be a smokefree campus. The following restrictions will apply:
1. Smoking is prohibited on all property and in all indoor and outdoor spaces owned, leased, licensed, or otherwise controlled by Santa Clara University.
Smoking is prohibited in all vehicles owned by Santa Clara University, during indoor or outdoor athletic events, and during any indoor or outdoor event or activity sponsored by the University.
2. The sale of tobacco products or tobacco paraphernalia is prohibited on all property owned, leased, licensed, or otherwise controlled by Santa Clara
University.
3. Tobacco product and industry sponsorship, advertising, and marketing are prohibited on campus and at University-sponsored events.
IMPLEMENTATION
Prior to the full implementation date:
1. Copies of the current smoking restrictions, and pending smoke-free policy, will be disseminated to all faculty, staff, students, and new members of the university community. The distributed material will include information on smokingcessation programs available to students, faculty, and staff. The policy change will also be addressed in university media, student newspapers, and other public venues to ensure that the campus community is aware of the coming change.
2. Current campus signage relating to smoking will be reviewed, and additional signs indicating smoking restrictions will be placed as necessary. Placement of cigarette receptacles on campus will be reviewed to ensure compliance with policy. At full implementation:
1. Information on the smoke-free campus policy will be disseminated to all faculty, staff, students, and new members of the university community. The policy change will be reinforced in university media, student newspapers, and other public venues to ensure that the campus community is aware of the change. The policy will be included in employee and student handbooks, on the SCU Web site, and in other relevant university publications.
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2. The university will clearly display signs at entry points and other appropriate locations throughout campus indicating the smoke-free policy.
ENFORCEMENT
This policy relies on the consideration and cooperation of smokers and non-smokers. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to observe and follow this policy and its guidelines. In the event that individual members of the campus community flagrantly or repeatedly refuse to comply with the policy after being notified of the violation, additional enforcement steps can be taken.
1. Offenses committed by staff or faculty can be addressed through Human
Resources.
2. Offenses committed by students can be addressed by Student Affairs and handled by the Student Judicial Board.
3. Offenses committed by non-campus affiliates can result in notification of
Campus Safety, who can instruct violators to either cease smoking or lose their
"right to be on campus." Violators can be escorted off campus.
4. Members of the campus community should notify Campus Safety if they have contact with individuals who disregard requests to cease/desist from smoking on campus, or if they are threatened after making such requests. i Bulletin of the National Cancer Institute (2012), “Changing Social Norms about Tobacco Use, one
Campus at a Time", available at http://www.cancer.gov/ncicancerbulletin/091812/page4 ii SCU Student Handbook 2012-13, available at http://www.scu.edu/studentlife/resources/publications/upload/2012-13-Student-Handbook.pdf. The same policy is articulated on the following sites: http://www.scu.edu/academics/bulletins/engineering/policies.cfm http://www.scu.edu/academics/bulletins/business/university-policies.cfm iii U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (2011), “Targeting Tobacco Use: The Nation’s Leading
Cause of Death”, available at http://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publications/aag/pdf/2011/Tobacco_page2_insert_508.pdf iv
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2010). Health Effects of Exposure to Secondhand Smoke.
Available at http://www.epa.gov/smokefree/healtheffects.html. v California Air Resources Board. (2009). Environmental Tobacco Smoke, available at http://www.arb.ca.gov/toxics/ets/ets.htm. vi
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2006). The Health Consequences of Involuntary
Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General. Available at http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/reports/secondhandsmoke/index.html vii

Fichtenberg, C.M. & Glantz, S.A. (2002). “Effect of smoke-free workplaces on smoking behavior: systematic review.” British Medical Journal, 325, 188. viii Seo, D.C., Macey, J., Torabi, M., & Middlestadt. (2011). “The effect of a smoke-free campus policy on college students’ smoking behaviors and attitudes.” Preventive Medicine 53: 347. ix Data from the California Adult Tobacco Survey, 2007. California Department of Public Health, California
Tobacco Control Program, March 2008. x Sawdey M, Lindsay R, & Novotny T. (2011). Smoke-free college campuses: no ifs, ands or toxic butts.
Tobacco Control Journal, 20(1), i21-i24.

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xi

Surfrider Foundation, San Diego Chapter. (n.d.). Hold on To Your Butt. Retrieved from http://www.surfridersd.org/hotyb.php. xii
Green, M. P., McCausland, K. L., Xiao, H., Duke, J. C., Vallone, D. M., & Healton, C. G. (2007). A closer look at smoking among young adults: Where tobacco control should focus its attention. American
Journal of Public Health, 97, 1427-1433 xiii Ibid. xiv American College Health Association. (2011). Position Statement on Tobacco on College and
University Campuses. Hanover, MD.

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