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The University of Maine’s Tobacco-Free Campus initiative, which went into effect last year with a trial period calling for voluntary compliance, will be fully implemented Jan. 1, 2012, under a policy of strict enforcement and mandatory compliance.
The full-fledged policy comes after nearly four years of planning and community outreach.
In 2007, former UMaine President Robert Kennedy appointed a committee to study the benefits of a tobacco-free campus. Its findings were submitted to administrators in 2009, and a voluntary ban was initiated in the spring of 2011 with the understanding that it would be mandatory in 2012.
“There will be no winks and nods,” said Dean of Students Robert Dana. “This is now a university policy, and we will expect everyone in the community to adhere to it.”
“It should be taken seriously, as this is a community and policies in place are expected to be followed,” said Lauri Sidelko, director of Alcohol and Drug Education Program, who also served as chair of the tobacco-free committee.
The enforcement policy, according to Dana, will fall under UMaine’s student conduct code, which requires students to “conduct their affairs with proper regard for the rights of others and the university.”
The conduct code also states, “All members of the university are governed by university policies, local ordinances, and state and federal laws.”
As a result, the process for dealing with students and UMaine employees will differ, said both Dana and Sidelko.
Dana said student transgressors will first be referred to Sidelko and Bud Walkup, an ADEP education specialist. Upon referral, students will have to discuss why they violated the policy and how to prevent any similar violations from occurring again.
Repeat violators, according to Dana, will be dealt with by the university conduct officer in the Office of Community Standards, commonly referred to as Judicial Affairs.
Dana said that multiple violations could result in suspension, but noted that such a consequence would be “very, very remote.”
“We want to promote a dialogue within the community,” Dana said. “We realize this is an issue of civil liberties for some — and they are offended — but this is not about being zealots. We’re dealing with human beings.”
Although the policy is expected to be strictly enforced, Dana said there will be a degree of leniency granted. He said resources will be made available to help smokers kick the habit and learn more about the newly mandatory policy.
University employees will be dealt with in a similar way, according to Dana and Sidelko, except all discussions will be conducted with supervisors, and transgressors will be dealt with through UMaine’s Office of Human Resources. Suspensions will also be a possibility for employees.
“For employees, it will be a sort of progressive discipline. We don’t like those words but that’s what it is,” Dana said.
Dana said supervisors will work with employees to find alternatives and solutions.
In all, university officials said the Tobacco-Free Campus policy is an effort to promote the overall health and wellness of the university.
The policy calls for a ban on all tobacco products but focuses primarily on cigarette-smoking.
Sidelko has said in the past that UMaine administrators determined the university’s previous tobacco policy, calling for smokers to stand at least 20 feet from entryways, was outdated. She has also said that the Tobacco-Free Campus initiative was the most cost-effective way to deal with the issue.
Since the ban went into effect, it has been met with mixed responses. Some have complained that it is an infringement on their civil rights, and others have said they support the move because non-smokers will be less susceptible to second-hand smoke.
“I believe the vast majority of people are thankful,” Dana said. “On the other hand, we realize some smokers are frightened of the concept and are concerned about their rights; that’s why we are prepared to work with everyone on this policy.”
Enforcement, according to Dana and Sidelko, will be a community-wide effort. Sidelko said training will be provided to supervisors, building managers and residence staff to deal with upholding the policy.
Chris Robba, 21, a fourth-year economics student at UMaine, said he understands the policy but he feels there are “better ways to go about it.”
“It’s a legal issue, not a school issue,” he said, standing with a cigarette in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other outside Fogler Library. “I mean, be respectful with your cigarette. If a baby or a kid comes by I always lift it away or put it out. I mean come on; there are so many other annoying things on campus. This is just gonna cost them more money somehow.”
With the policy taking full effect, UMaine joins more than 365 universities across the country with tobacco-free campuses.
Furthermore, in 2009, the American College Health Association issued a “no tobacco policy” statement encouraging universities and colleges nationwide to “achieve a 100 percent indoor and outdoor campus-wide tobacco-free environment.”
