COLLEGE LOOKS TO BUTT OUT
St. Clair to adopt smoke-free policy
St. Clair College has future plans to become a smoke-free campus, joining a growing number of Canadian colleges and universities that have asked smokers to butt out. “We do have a plan to move in that direction,” said John Fairley, the college’s vice-president of communications and community relations. “It’s going to be done in phases and we’re not there yet, but we’re working on something.” Western University in London announced earlier this month that it will become a completely smokefree campus by July 2019. A spokesman said there are no similar plans for the University of Windsor.
“We’re aware other universities have done this,” said Ryan Flannagan, Windsor’s associate vicepresident of student experience said. “That has generated some discussion but no steps have taken place.”
Kati Panasiuk is a graduate student in the media convergence program at St. Clair College and a smoker for the past 10 years. “I like the idea of schools going smoke-free,” the 28-year-old said. “I’ve been trying to quit for a year now and that would certainly help.”
Second-year journalism student Torcia Velthuizen also has plans to quit smoking in the near future but believes the college should maintain designated smoking areas. “I believe they should have an area designated for smoking because we’re adults here,” the 26-year-old said.
She noted how students are allowed to make their own health choices around alcohol and junk food while on campus, so why not smoking. Velthuizen suggested that enforcement would be difficult. Fairley said any move to go smoke free is at least a couple of years away and will be supported with smoking cessation programs for those affected by the policy change.
McMaster University in Hamilton became the first Ontario university to go smoke free when it banned all forms of smoking on campus in January. “Things are going smoothly,” said Sean Van Koughnett, McMaster’s associate vice-president for students and learning and the dean of students.
McMaster first announced the plan in September 2017 and found the majority of students polled were in favour of it. “Enforcement over 2018 is really about educating people about the policy,” Van Koughnett wrote in an email. “Compliance has been very good. The policy is not meant to be punitive but is focused on improving the health and well-being of our community.”
He said faculty, staff and students have free access to cessation products.
Smoke-free campuses are more common on the East Coast where Dalhousie, Acadia, Memorial, the University of P.E.I. and Saint Mary ’s have all implemented policies.
The ban generally covers all forms of smoking, including cigarettes, pipes, vapes and marijuana. Those who require medical marijuana have been asked to use it in edible form.
We do have a plan to move in that direction It’s going to be done in phases and we’re not there yet, but we’re working on something.