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The University of Maine campus could be tobacco free as soon as the fall of 2008 under a new plan now being considered by the Tobacco Free Campus Committee.
The committee, appointed by the school administration, is composed of students, faculty and staff. These individuals are a mix of smokers, non-smokers and some who have recently quit. The group has been meeting every other week since last August to discuss the many issues related to the plan including enforcement, timing, support and funding, according to Lauri Sidelko, co-chair of the committee.
“My opinion is to move in stages over a period of years if this is what the campus wants, but others are saying, ‘let’s just make this happen,’” Sidelko said.
Several years ago, UMaine had banned the sale of tobacco products on campus and prohibited smoking in campus buildings. The committee was formed to help the campus follow the overall heath and wellness plan that the state and the country have been implementing. UMaine recently completed the building of a recreation and fitness center as part of its plan.
Sidelko said a tobacco-free campus is the next step in implementing this plan with the goal of improving overall health and wellness of the campus to lower health insurance costs for the university.
According to Sidelko’s research and the Core Alcohol and Drug Survey, which is given to college students to assess substance abuse on campuses, most students begin smoking in college and a smoke-free campus would discourage people from starting. A survey similar to the Core will assess the success of a tobacco-free campus once it is in effect.
As the committee wrestles with issues of implementation, some in the UMaine community question just how this plan will come into effect.
Whitney Morrow, a third-year student on the women’s basketball team said, “As an athlete, smokers on campus sometimes bother me, but I can’t see how anyone would be able to tell them they can’t smoke if they’re outside.”
Other students’ questions and concerns reflect the same issues and these controversies are currently under discussion by the committee. These issues range from determining an effective start date, potential difficulties and barriers to acceptance, enforcement strategies, support policies, smokers’ rights, whether to allow smoking in personal vehicles and whether all forms of tobacco are included or just cigarettes and cigars.
“At this point we’re in the very preliminary stage in researching this issue,” Polly Moutevelis-Burgess, co-chair of the committee, said. She added that there would be considerable conversation with the university community before moving forward.
“There are other solutions,” student smoker Alexander Richardson said. He suggested that the university create smoking areas on campus rather than a full ban.
Bangor Daily News