Smoke and Tobacco Free Campus Policy

Earlham College is committed to providing a safe and healthy working and learning environment for the students, faculty, and staff on its campus, therefore, it hereby adopts the following tobacco-free policy.

The College finds and declares that the purposes of this policy are (1) to protect the public health and welfare by prohibiting smoking and the use of tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes and hookahs, on the Earlham College campus; (2) to guarantee the right of nonsmokers to breathe smoke-free air, while recognizing that the need to breathe smoke-free air shall have priority over the desire to smoke; and (3) to encourage a healthier, more productive living/learning environment for all members of our campus community. This finding comes about following significant consultation with the Earlham community, consensus within the Campus Life Advisory Committee (CLAC) whose purview extends to community life, and is endorsed by the Board of Trustees.

In light of the above commitments, the Earlham College campus shall be entirely tobacco-free.

The Tobacco-Free Policy applies to all Earlham College facilities, property, and vehicles, owned or leased, regardless of location. Smoking and the use of tobacco products shall not be permitted in any enclosed place, including, but not limited to, all offices, classrooms, hallways, waiting rooms, restrooms, meeting rooms, community areas, performance venues, and private residential space within Earlham College housing. Smoking and the use of tobacco products shall also be prohibited outdoors on sports & recreational areas, stadiums, barns, outbuildings, and other structures on or controlled Earlham College property. This policy applies to all students, faculty, staff, and other persons on campus, regardless of the purpose for their visit.

Visitors in violation of the campus tobacco policy will be asked to refrain from using tobacco products while on Earlham property. Visitors using tobacco products who choose not to abide by the campus tobacco policy will be asked to leave the premises. Earlham Public Safety may be contacted to escort the person off campus property. Visitors who repeatedly violate the policy may be trespassed formally from College property.

No tobacco-related advertising or sponsorship shall be permitted Earlham College property, at Earlham-sponsored events, or in publications produced by Earlham College, with the exception of advertising in a newspaper or magazine that is not produced by Earlham College and which is lawfully sold, bought, or distributed on Earlham College property. For the purposes of this policy, “tobacco related” applies to the use of a tobacco brand or corporate name, trademark, logo, symbol, or motto, selling message, recognizable pattern or colors, or any other indicia of product identical to or similar to, or identifiable with, those used for any brand of tobacco products or company which manufactures tobacco products.

No tobacco products or paraphernalia shall be sold or distributed as samples on campus grounds, either in vending machines, the student center, or any area on campus.

Compliance with the tobacco-free policy is a shared responsibility and viewed as a right for both smokers and nonsmokers alike. Earlham is first and foremost a learning environment; it is also a community of individuals who choose to live and work together in a cooperative environment. In accordance with Principles and Practices, enforcement of the policy rests with every individual in our community. The College recognizes that the use of tobacco can be addictive, and accordingly, a reasonable period of time is appropriate for the community to adapt to a healthier environment. In the first year, the smoke and tobacco-free sub-committee of CLAC strongly recommends that efforts be placed primarily on education and communication of the policy, rather than enforcement. Following the 2016-2017 academic year, and beginning July 1, 2017, CLAC will publicize recommendations regarding compliance with the policy, including enforcement and sanctions where appropriate and in alignment with the Student Code of Conduct, Staff Manual and Faculty Manual.

It is the responsibility of all community members to respectfully request that those who smoke abide by the policy and for those individuals to respectfully comply.

1. “Electronic Smoking Device” means any product containing or delivering nicotine or any other substance intended for human consumption that can be used by a person to simulate smoking through inhalation of vapor or aerosol from the product. The term includes any such device, whether manufactured, distributed, marketed, or sold as an e-cigarette, e-cigar, e-pipe, e-hookah, or vape pen, or under any other product name or descriptor.
2. “Hookah” means a water pipe and any associated products and devices which are used to produce fumes, smoke, and/or vapor from the burning of material including, but not limited to, tobacco, shisha, or other plant matter.
3. “Smoking” means inhaling, exhaling, burning, or carrying any lighted or heated cigar, cigarette, or pipe, or any other lighted or heated tobacco or plant product intended for inhalation, including hookahs and marijuana, whether natural or synthetic, in any manner or in any “Smoking” also includes the use of an electronic smoking device, which creates an aerosol or vapor, in any manner or in any form, or the use of any oral smoking device for the purpose of circumventing the prohibition of smoking in this Article.
4. “Tobacco Product” means any substance containing tobacco leaf, including but not limited to, cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, hookah tobacco, snuff, chewing tobacco, dipping tobacco, bidis, blunts, clove cigarettes, or any other preparation of tobacco; and any product or formulation of matter containing biologically active amounts of nicotine that is manufactured, sold, offered for sale, or otherwise distributed with the expectation that the product or matter will be introduced into the human body by inhalation; but does not include any cessation product specifically approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in treating nicotine or tobacco dependence.

Faculty, staff, and students have access to cessation counselors, which are available on campus to assist in education and cessation efforts. The College provides ongoing education beginning at New Student Orientation, whether through programs, peer education or more in-depth assessment. Education materials are available through Health and Counseling Services and Wellness Programs. Students in need of more personalized intervention may contact Counseling Services for confidential counseling or referral for clinical treatment, including inpatient services or other off-campus support. Other on-campus confidential resources include Student Health Services and the staff of Religious Life and Newlin Center.

Cessation resources are also available locally through Reid Health and regionally through the Indiana Tobacco Quitline. Cessation and education information can be obtained through Earlham College Human Resources or Wellness Programs.

Copies of this policy shall be distributed to all faculty and staff and shall be included with information given to all admitted students. Announcements shall be broadcast on the campus radio station, WECI 91.5 FM. Signs prohibiting smoking and the use of tobacco products shall be posted at all points of entry to the Earlham College campus and at all Earlham College building entrances. No ashtrays shall be provided at any location on campus. All monies from fines will be dedicated to funding campus tobacco cessation and education efforts.

This policy is being announced 318 days prior to its implementation in order to give smokers time to adapt to its restrictions and to facilitate a smooth transition to a tobacco-free environment. On-site smoking cessation programs shall be made available to assist and encourage individuals who wish to quit smoking. Questions and problems regarding this policy should be handled through existing departmental administrative channels and administrative procedures.

The success of  this policy will depend on the thoughtfulness, consideration, and cooperation of smokers and nonsmokers. All students, faculty, and staff share in the responsibility for adhering to and enforcing this policy. Violations of the policy will be treated in accordance with general campus disciplinary procedures.