Tobacco Free
Kalamazoo Valley Community College is joining the growing list of Michigan public colleges and universities to institute a campus-wide ban on tobacco.
Effective January 1, 2015 Kalamazoo Valley will be a completely tobacco free campus. All tobacco products and E-cigarettes will be prohibited. Students will be permitted to use tobacco only in their vehicles while on Kalamazoo Valley property.
At least 1,343 college or university campuses in the U.S. have adopted 100% smoke-free campus policies that eliminate smoking in indoor and outdoor areas across the entire campus.
The policy change was recommended by a committee of students, faculty and staff who met to consider updating the college’s facility related tobacco use limitation policy. They recommended that the college implement more restrictive policies. On April 1, 2014, e-cigarettes were added to the current policy, in order to manage the use of e-cigarettes consistent with other tobacco products.
To assist those who want information about smoking cessation, the College is hosting a Great American Smoke Out event on Nov. 20. From noon to 1 p.m., a representative from the American Cancer Society will speak about the dangers of smoking cigarettes and products and methods that can be helpful when quitting. The presentation will be held in room 4230 at the Texas Township campus and is free and open to the campus community.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Why is Kalamazoo Valley Community College going tobacco-free?
A. Becoming a tobacco-free campus will allow Kalamazoo Valley to create a healthier campus. One of the goals at Kalamazoo Valley is to provide and maintain an optimally healthy and safe environment for students, staff, faculty and visitors. Because we recognize the health, safety, and comfort benefits of smoke-free air and tobacco-free spaces, we are choosing to go tobacco-free.
Q. Are e-cigarettes included?
A. Yes. E-cigarettes are prohibited by Kalamazoo Valley’s tobacco-free policy. After extensive research, the decision was made to ban these devices for these reasons:
o E-cigarettes may emit nicotine or vapors containing detectable carcinogens and toxic chemicals.
o Some of the known vapors in e-cigarettes are believed to pose health risks. The extent of the risk is currently unknown.
o The American Medical Association, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, and American Lung Association all recommend that smoke-free laws and policies prohibit the use of e-cigarettes.
o The tobacco industry heavily markets e-cigarettes as a cessation device, although they have not been approved by the FDA for this purpose. Allowing them in our policy could lead smokers to turn to e-cigarettes as a cessation device that poses potential health risks.
Q. When will the policy take effect?
A. The policy goes into effect January 1, 2015. Until January 2015, we will be in the implementation phase, working to inform and educate the campus community and making the necessary preparations for the policy to go into effect.
Q. Is the College requiring that people quit using tobacco products?
A. No. The College is stating that smoking and tobacco use will not be allowed on campus grounds. Students will be permitted to use tobacco only in their vehicles while on Kalamazoo Valley property.
Q. The policy says that the College is tobacco free, does that mean smoke free, too?
A. Yes. The policy means that the campus is smoke free and tobacco free.
Q. What is considered a tobacco product and prohibited by the policy?
A. For the purpose of the policy, “tobacco” is defined to include any tobacco product or derivative, including but not limited to any lit or unlit cigarette, cigar, pipe, hookah, and other non-combustible tobacco-free products such as e-cigarettes. The tobacco-free policy also includes the campus being smoke-free.
Q. What are the borders of the tobacco-free environment?
A. The legal property lines of all College-owned facilities constitute the boundaries of the Kalamazoo Valley tobacco-free environment including the Groves Campus and Arcadia Commons Campus which includes Anna Whitten Hall, the Kalamazoo Valley Museum and the Center For New Media. The ban does not extend to the perimeter sidewalks of the campuses.
Q. Does this policy apply to city-owned streets, sidewalks and right-of-way?
A. Kalamazoo Valley does not have jurisdiction over the use of city owned streets, sidewalks and rights-of-way in regard to tobacco use.
Q. Can I smoke in my own vehicle within the tobacco-free environment?
A. Yes. People may smoke in their enclosed personal vehicles. This is the only exception in the policy.
Q. Who is affected by this policy?
A. All College employees, students, visitors, and contractors are required to comply with the policy. It applies to everyone who is on college-owned property. All visitors, including vendors, contract workers, etc., will be required to refrain from using tobacco products on our campus.
Q. What should I do if I see someone smoking on campus after January 1, 2015?
A. If you are comfortable speaking to the smoker, you can say, “Did you know that Kalamazoo Valley doesn’t allow tobacco products of any kind on its campuses? Please respect the policy and the campus environment and put your cigarette out.”
Q. Are other colleges and universities tobacco or smoke free?
A. As of December 1, 2013, there were 1,272 campuses that had made the commitment to be smoke free. Of those, 758 are tobacco free. The number of smoke-free campuses represents about a quarter of all American colleges and universities. In Michigan, there are 25 colleges that have made the smoke-or tobacco-free commitment. They include all University of Michigan campuses, Central Michigan University, Michigan Technological University, and Western Michigan University.
Q. What will Kalamazoo Valley do to help employees and students who want to quit using tobacco?
A. An American Cancer Society presentation about the dangers of smoking and strategies for quitting is scheduled for noon on Nov. 20, 2014 in room 4230 at the Texas Township Campus.
Q. How will the tobacco-free policy be enforced?
A. The guiding principle of enforcement will be respect for all. This key approach includes tobacco users and non-users and must encompass respect for the rules that the College has adopted. We hope this principle will help guide everyone as we make the transition to a healthier tobacco-free environment. From review of other campuses, best practice suggests that these cultural changes can happen with everyone working to be respectful of the policy. Repeated abuse of the policy will be addressed through the Office of the Director of Student Relations and/or Human Resources. Compliance can be achieved through consistent communication and policy education.
Q. How will the College tell visitors about the tobacco-free campus?
A. All Kalamazoo Valley students, faculty, and staff will be informed about the College’s tobacco-free policy and how they should alert visitors to campus. Signage will be prominently displayed at all entrances.