Trustees amend University tobacco-free policy

The Board of Trustees amended this February the tobacco-free policy implemented in 2008.

The genesis of the IU policy can be traced back to February 2007, when former IU president Adam Herbert introduced a potential non-smoking policy to the Board of Trustees.

“In spring 2007, President Herbert issued a directive that all campuses adopt a non-smoking or tobacco-free policy,” said John Applegate, IU’s executive vice president of University Academic Affairs.

The policy, which took effect Jan. 1, 2008, prohibited the use or sale of tobacco products on University property and in University vehicles.

Four years later, Indiana enacted its first ever statewide smoke-free air law, which prohibited smoking within 8 feet of a public entrance to a public place or place of employment.

Indiana’s Smoke Free Air Law stimulated discourse among IU’s administration to modify its existing tobacco-free policy.

“It seemed like a good time to clarify what’s covered in the policy, and since we have this uniform state law and these campus policies which were more or less the same already,” Applegate said.

The current policy condenses the different IU campus policies into a single policy that complies with the state law and is uniform, Applegate said.

In addition to adopting components of the state law that weren’t in the pre-existing policy, the current policy extended its ban on tobacco to include electronic cigarettes, hookah-smoked products, pipes, oral tobacco and nasal tobacco.

“I think the e-cigarette ban is a little too far,” one IU senior, Tyler Howell, said. “There is little to no smell with most of the e-cigarette options, and the smoke doesn’t linger like normal cigarette smoke.”

Despite the revamped tobacco-free policy, Applegate said he believes the policy will be enforced through a community effort.

He acknowledged the Indiana University Police Department’s role in enforcing the policy as well.

“With the state law, we’re required to give citations for it,” Applegate said. “If IUPD finds people smoking, they must follow state law.”

IUPD Chief Laury Flint said all IUPD officers are familiar with the disciplinary protocol if someone is found violating state law or University policy.

“IUPD is responsible for enforcing state laws as well as University policy,” Flint said.
“Those who are found smoking within 8 feet of a public entrance to one of the buildings on campus will need to be identified and issued an infraction citation for prohibited smoking. Those persons issued a citation for this violation will be required to pay court costs in addition to the standard fine.”

These people will also need to be identified and referred to the Dean of Students if a student, or Human Resources if an employee, Flint said.

Jerry Minger, University Director of Public Safety and the person responsible for coordinating police operations on all IU campuses, said he fully expects IU police officers to regulate state law and University policy.

However, Minger pointed out the potential limitations of strictly policing the tobacco-free policy.

“It’s something where you usually aren’t avidly patrolling,” he said. “We don’t have enough officers to be absolutely everywhere all of the time.”

Since July 7, 2012, the day the Indiana Smoke Free Air Law went into effect, IUPD received 31 complaints, and seven citations have been issued, Lt. Craig Munroe, IUPD public information officer, said.

Instead of violating state law and University policy, Applegate said he urged smokers to access smoking cessation programs.

”We have for faculty, staff and students various smoking cessation programs that are available,” Applegate said.

“A smoking cessation program is a far more preferable way of dealing with this than punishment, because you get a long-term benefit to the individual.”

IU’s tobacco cessation services offer support, counseling and free nicotine replacement therapy. Applegate said he believes this policy can have a positive effect
on the IU community as time goes on.

“I think in the long run, this is a matter of changing the culture,” he said.