Exceeding Expectations
Southeastern goes beyond new state requirements by implementing tobacco-free policy on campus
New policy will benefit health of students and employees and help maintain natural beauty of campus
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Beginning Aug. 1, Southeastern's campus will be 100 percent tobacco free. The university went beyond the state's mandate that all public post-secondary education institutions develop smoke-free policies by the late-summer deadline with a ban on all tobacco products as well.
This move will benefit student and employee health and keep the campus' natural beauty intact. Recognizing the new policy will affect some students and employees, Southeastern is offering smoking cessation classes and clinics through the University Counseling Center and the Pennington Student Activity Center.
The new tobacco-free policy applies to all Southeastern students, faculty, staff and visitors. Tobacco use includes, but is not limited to cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos, pipes, hookah-smoked products, electronic cigarettes and oral tobacco products such as dips and chews.
Nationwide, 938 universities have chosen tobacco-free policies for their campuses, while 176 of those have included the use of e-cigarettes in their policies.
Southeastern's community is being informed of the new tobacco-free policy through a variety of communications including signs posted throughout the campus, university emails, social media, website postings, and institutional trainings and programs. The slogan is "We are tobacco free."
Students who violate the policy will be ticketed by university police personnel and referred to the Office of Student Advocacy and Accountability for disciplinary actions as appropriate. Faculty, staff, contractors or visitors who violate this policy will be ticketed and, as appropriate, reported to the relevant university department or office. The penalty for tobacco use on campus is a choice of either payment of a $50 fine or 10 hours of community service litter pickup. Repeat offenders may be subject to additional sanctions.
Visit www.southeastern.edu/tobaccofree for tobacco-free resources, frequently asked questions and the full policy. Contact the University Counseling Center at (985) 549-3894 to learn more about related services.
