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Posted on 12/01/2003 3:23:39 PM PST by Dan from Michigan

Smoking ban heats up as LCC prepares campus crackdown

By Sharon Terlep
Lansing State Journal

Lighting up at Lansing Community College is still commonplace a year after LCC became one of the first Michigan colleges to ban outdoor smoking.

But officials say a crackdown on smoking is on the way.

Until now, school leaders say they've focused on getting the word out about the policy, not enforcing it. LCC has yet to penalize anyone under the smoking policy instituted in October 2002.

"There's no purpose in having a policy if you're not going to enforce it," LCC spokesman Richard Howard said. "So far, it's been about education. The college will move more toward enforcement."

In the past year, LCC began offering free smoking cessation sessions and distributing pamphlets with information aimed at helping smokers quit. A handful of people showed up for the sessions, Howard said.

Signs reading "LCC is a tobacco free campus" are posted throughout the college.

But students and staff still huddle near doorways and ashtrays, smoking as they walk to work and between classes.

"I haven't even heard about the policy until just now," first-year student Kevin Chirio said, sheepishly, snuffing out his cigarette. "I don't have a problem following it."

The policy

Under the policy, students, staff and faculty who violate the ban can receive a citation from campus police requiring them to meet with either human resources or Student Judicial Affairs personnel.

The first citation will result in a verbal warning. Numerous warnings could ultimately result in suspension or firing. People not affiliated with the campus will be asked not to smoke.

Smoking is still allowed on sidewalks bordering the campus and in Washington Square, a strip of land running through campus.

But that soon could change. Last week, the city gave up rights to that property - which covers about 10 percent of campus - and the college might ban smoking there, too, Howard said.

A committee composed of staff, faculty and students likely will make that decision, he said.

Smoking is still a problem on campus, especially in front of the Arts and Sciences building, where vents suck smoke-filled air into classrooms and offices, faculty member Joe Warren said.

He complained that the college still puts out ashtrays - some located directly underneath "no smoking" signs.

"It sends a terrible message," he said. "I go to shoo people away and show them the signs, and they say, 'Look, they don't care. There's an ashtray right here.' "

Howard said the ashtrays are intended to give smokers a place to discard their cigarettes upon entering campus or realizing they can't smoke.

How it started

The smoking policy, more than two years in the works, was prompted by complaints from faculty and students who worried about the health effects of second-hand smoke.

Smoking has been banned in LCC buildings since 2000, when smokers were assigned one area outside each building.

LCC, Michigan's third largest community college, decided that year it would phase out smoking outdoors. The Board of Trustees voted again in March 2002 to extend the no-smoking zone the following fall.

Outdoor smoking bans are rare at public colleges and universities.

Several health advocates said last fall they knew of no other college or university to ban smoking outdoors, though LCC officials said at least a few Michigan colleges ban it.

The bans are, however, becoming a trend on hospital campuses.

Two health systems in Grand Rapids and the University of Michigan Medical Center recently banned the practice. Lansing's hospitals have not.

Michigan State University doesn't allow smoking in buildings or immediately around entrances, but doesn't have an all-out ban.

LCC employee Brian Anderson last week walked down Washington Square, cigarette in hand. He said he doesn't mind avoiding smoking in the off-limits areas, but he doesn't expect the policy to stick campuswide.

"It's not like there's public safety officers running around giving tickets," he said. "If they were, that would probably change things."

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LCC smoking policy

Smoking is not allowed inside or outside, except on Washington Square.

Students get three notices before receiving a letter outlining the smoking policy and requesting them to comply. If that doesn't work, the students will be required to meet with the director of Student Judicial Affairs and eventually could be suspended.

Faculty would be reported to their department heads and, if they continue to smoke, could face further punishments.

Visitors will be asked to not smoke and could be removed or banned from campus if they refuse to stop.

Smokers' resources

Ingham County: Smoking cessation program with counseling and referral service. Nicotine replacement and prescription therapies available to those who qualify. Free. Call 887-4315.

Nicotine Anonymous: A 12-step recovery model that offers weekly meetings in the tradition of Alcoholics Anonymous. Free. Call 377-0710.

American Lung Association: A seven-week group intervention with trained facilitators for $65. Call 484-4541.

Sparrow Hospital: Regular "Freedom From Smoking" programs for $65. Call 1-800-SPARROW.

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