Beginning in January, SUNY Fredonia will become an entirely tobacco-free campus, following a directive from State University of New York (SUNY) Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher and the SUNY Board of Trustees.
The goal of the initiative is to educate students, faculty, staff, campus visitors and other stakeholders on the importance of achieving a tobacco-free campus in order to maintain sustainability on campuses and provide a healthy, comfortable and safe environment for campus and community members.
SUNY Fredonia is one of 30 system campuses to date which have begun implementing the tobacco-free policy, which bans the use of all tobacco and tobacco-related products throughout each campus, including all indoor and outdoor locations, as well as inside any vehicles owned, leased or controlled by SUNY Fredonia. Additionally, areas formerly designated for smoking will no longer exist. The ban includes cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, e-cigarettes, vapor and other electronic products, and any other form of tobacco.
“A tobacco-free SUNY policy would demonstrate the State University of New York’s commitment to be responsible stewards by leading efforts to improve the short-and long-term health of our students and employees,” said Chancellor Zimpher.
At SUNY Fredonia, a committee has worked for several months to prepare the community for this transition. Its members have included representatives from Student Affairs, Lograsso Health Center, The Counseling Center, Human Resources, the Employee Assistance Program, Residence Life, Facilities Services, the Sustainability Committee, the Faculty Student Association, the Student Association, and all major campus unions. In addition, the committee has received counsel from the National Center for Tobacco Policy to help its members prepare a series of communications, guidelines and programming to assist all students and employees with the transition to the new policy, which will go into effect at the start of the 2014 calendar year.
SUNY Fredonia administrators encourage campus and community members to become acclimated with the policy in order to make decisions that will positively affect the campus. For more information on SUNY Fredonia’s tobacco-free policy, visit www.fredonia.edu/tobaccofree/.
