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By the numbers
Tobacco use among students, according to the Ohio Department of Health:
30.1% Ohio high school students who reported being current tobacco users
27% Young adults (18-24) in the United States who are current smokers
28% College-aged smokers who became a regular smoker after starting college
11% College-aged smokers who began smoking after starting college
A possible campus-wide ban on tobacco products at the state’s public colleges and universities could have a significant impact on students because more than a quarter of adults ages 18 to 24 are smokers.
James Tuschman, the Ohio Board of Regents chairman, told The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer that he plans to introduce a resolution later this month asking the state’s public schools to ban tobacco, an effort driven in part by the chief executive of the Cleveland Clinic.
The decision to ban tobacco would fall to each school’s board of trustees.
Of the area’s schools, Miami University and Cedarville University already have campus-wide bans. Smoking is not allowed anywhere on Miami’s campus; Cedarville doesn’t allow even possession of tobacco products.
A Dayton Daily News survey of regional colleges revealed a variety of policies, although all area colleges ban smoking in buildings. There are differences in the distance smokers must be from building entrances — usually 15 to 25 feet — and availability of smoking areas. Clark State Community College is considering a policy that would also ban smokeless tobacco in nonsmoking areas, which most schools do not have in place.
“It has been a topic, but the discussion has not centered on banning smoking across campus,” said Dan Abrahamowicz, vice president for student affairs at Wright State. “The discussion has been about structuring it differently.
“Should we have smoking areas or covered shelters? Those kinds of things.”
Studying health
The Ohio Department of Health last year produced a packet of information and suggestions for schools considering stronger policies against tobacco use. Officials said they hope stronger tobacco policies will curb smoking while students are on campus. Nationally, 27 percent of people ages 18 to 24 are smokers, and 40 percent of college-age smokers began or increased smoking after starting college, according to the ODH.
Similar research helped influence Tuschman’s stance on tobacco. A board of regents recommendation on tobacco would be unique because it would enter into the student experience realm, Abrahamowicz said.
“Mostly, they act in areas like switching to semesters or other administrative issues,” he said. “But this is the health dimension, safety dimension, social dimension. They have a concern about the welfare of our campuses, and I think it’s fine to have those suggestions.”
Schools said they would consider such a recommendation before taking any action. Student smokers said they would adjust if necessary.
“It’s not always necessary to smoke,” said Hulays Alzuraya, a 24-year-old Wright State senior from Saudi Arabia. “It’s just that sometimes people are on campus for 12 or 14 hours at a time, so it can help to smoke once or twice.”
Enforcing a ban
Cedarville’s ban on tobacco has been in place for decades and accepted as a way of life for the Christian school. But larger student populations could have more trouble adjusting, said Cedarville spokesman John Davis.
“I think it goes back to a shared core value,” he said. “For an Ohio State, whose students have different values, it’s hard for them to wrestle with what we have in place, which is based on what we believe the scripture says about how we treat our bodies.
“We’re looking at it from a biblical perspective. I doubt they will. They will look at it for how it affects someone else in a health perspective.”
Leslie Haxby McNeill, Ohio coordinator for the Bacchus Network, a nationwide student organization focused on health and safety, said any school should have an enforcement plan in place before changing policies. McNeill, also an assistant director in the Office of Student Wellness at Miami University, has watched that issue be addressed up close in Oxford.
McNeill said some people are not comfortable reporting violations. That can be easier on smaller campuses like Wittenberg University, said Mark DeVilbiss, Wittenberg’s associate dean for residence life. No matter the policy, school officials said, setting a standard that is followed is important.
“It would be a good thing if they will enforce it or find a way to make enforcement happen,” McNeill said of the possible campus-wide tobacco bans. “To make a policy you can’t enforce is not helpful.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7389 or knagel@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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