University of Arkansas Tobacco-Free Policy Goes into Effect July 1

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas will become one of the first major universities in the country to be completely tobacco-free when the policy prohibiting use of all tobacco products goes into effect on July 1.

The policy decision was announced to the public and the university community in May of 2007. The announcement was made more than a year in advance to help the campus community and its visitors adjust to the change. In 2001 the University of Arkansas joined many other campuses across the nation to ban smoking in its buildings and within 25 feet of all building entrances.

This step to being a completely tobacco-free campus puts the university in a national leadership role in the area of health on college campuses. Since the policy was announced and the marketing campaign, known as “Fresh,” began, people from several colleges across the nation have called university officials to get information about how they might create a similar policy on their campuses, and to find out what kinds of issues could arise when making this kind of policy decision.

The University of Arkansas' tobacco-free policy was developed by Mary Alice Serafini, assistant vice chancellor for student affairs and director of the Pat Walker Health Center. She used a model provided by the federal Centers for Disease Control. Students in a substance-abuse prevention class made several suggestions; campus administrators and other student groups were consulted; and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ College of Public Health and the Northwest Arkansas Tobacco-Free Coalition provided support information.

The policy is clear and states:

1. Smoking and the use of tobacco products (including cigarettes, cigars, pipes, smokeless tobacco and other tobacco products) by students, faculty, staff and visitors are prohibited on all University of Arkansas properties.
2. Effective July 1, 2008, the use of tobacco products (including cigarettes, cigars, pipes, smokeless tobacco, or other tobacco products) is prohibited at all times:

• In all interior space on the University of Arkansas campus.
• On all outside property or grounds of the University of Arkansas campus including partially enclosed areas such as walkways, breezeways and bus shelters.
• In University of Arkansas vehicles, including buses, vans and all other university vehicles.
• In all indoor and outdoor athletic facilities, as well as the grandstands of outdoor facilities.

Adherence to the policy cited above is the responsibility of all University of Arkansas students, faculty, staff and visitors. It is expected that all students, faculty, staff and campus visitors comply with this policy. Members of our campus community are empowered to respectfully inform others about the policy in an ongoing effort to enhance awareness and encourage compliance.

The tobacco-free policy is being marketed through a comprehensive campaign known as “Fresh.” Scott Flanagin, director of communications and outreach for the Division of Student Affairs has headed up the marketing efforts for the policy, and worked with an award-winning student group, known as UA Productions, to create the concepts and the materials, right down to the Web site: http://fresh.uark.edu.

The Web site is a major portion of the campaign because it holds a lot of information for the varied audience affected by this policy. There are resource links for students, faculty and staff who want to quit smoking. But it also provides a forum for people to speak up about the policy and talk about it with others.

Posters directing people to fresh.uark.edu have been posted all over campus since March, from academic buildings to residential facilities. Meetings have been held with various campus governance groups to discuss the policy. Banners announcing the tobacco-free campus hang on the crosswalk over Razorback Road leading into Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, as well as in the Arkansas Union. All incoming students and their parents are getting information through new student orientation. All season ticket holders for Razorback football will be receiving a flyer in their football ticket packets that informs them about the policy. Decals on doors that inform people of the 25-foot rule will be replaced with decals stating the campus is tobacco-free. And on July 1 all of the ash cans around campus will be removed.