{"id":1897,"date":"2012-10-17T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2012-10-17T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/blogtest\/reminder-on-our-tobacco-free-policy\/"},"modified":"2026-04-14T10:39:42","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T15:39:42","slug":"reminder-on-our-tobacco-free-policy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/president\/reminder-on-our-tobacco-free-policy\/","title":{"rendered":"Reminder on our Tobacco-Free Policy"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

On Jan. 1, 2012, the University\u2019s Tobacco Free policy went into effect following a six-month grace period, which allowed the campus to get prepared and acclimated.\u00a0 We have been very pleased with the general acceptance of this new policy and have noticed a significant decrease in the use of tobacco products on our campus.\u00a0 Reports from Health Services staff also indicate a number of individuals have quit smoking or are seeking cessation assistance because of the policy change.<\/p>\n

However, a new academic year brings new students, faculty and staff to our community who may not be fully aware of our policy, which restricts the use of all tobacco products on our campus except in private vehicles.\u00a0 For those who would like more information on the policy, you can click the following link for more information:
\nhttp:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/policies\/general-policies\/I-01-03.php<\/a><\/p>\n

While the habits and practices that took years to form will not easily end with the establishment of this policy, undertaking this change is in the best interest of our campus community. Our intent is to signal a change in attitudes and social norms on our campus, rooted in consideration of others and concern for their safety that will strengthen with each year.\u00a0 Acceptance of this policy has come a long way in the past year, yet from my frequent walks across campus and interaction with others, I know that there are some who have interpreted our thoughtful approach as a sign that this policy cannot, or will not, be enforced. I have been disappointed to see and learn about students, faculty and staff members openly smoking on campus, sometimes inside or near University buildings.<\/p>\n

It is important for members of our campus community to understand that compliance with our tobacco-free policy is not optional<\/strong>. There are consequences that will result from violating this policy, just as there are from violating any other University regulation. Students who violate this policy will be referred to Judicial Affairs and Mediation Services where the disciplinary process will be initiated which could include a disciplinary hearing.\u00a0 Disciplinary sanctions will range from warnings or reprimands, to suspension or expulsion for the most egregious instances of non-compliance. Faculty and staff who fail to comply with institutional policy will be reported to their supervisors for discipline.\u00a0 Consequences ranging from warnings to unsatisfactory job performance ratings (which will result in denial of any across-the-board salary increase) will be imposed.\u00a0 The person confronting a smoker may ask for the smoker\u2019s\u00a0MTSU ID, which must be produced.\u00a0 Failure to produce an\u00a0MTSU ID is itself a disciplinary offense.<\/p>\n

No single entity has been tasked to enforce our tobacco-free policy since it is truly a community-wide effort.\u00a0 Each member of our campus should take steps to remind those violating the policy that our campus is tobacco free.\u00a0\u00a0 Few of us like confrontation.\u00a0 But as\u00a0MTSU employees, we all have the responsibility to enforce campus policy.\u00a0 In order to assist those hesitant to approach a smoker, the following dialogue suggestions (which have been utilized successfully) are provided as a guide when encountering someone using tobacco on university property.\u00a0 Suggested language:<\/p>\n

\u201cExcuse me, but\u00a0MTSU is a tobacco-free campus now, so you\u2019ll need to put out your cigarette.\u201d<\/em>
\nOr
\n \u201cYou may not be aware, but\u00a0MTSU is a tobacco-free campus now.\u00a0 You can smoke in your car or on off campus property, but you can\u2019t smoke on campus.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

If the person is resistant or refuses to extinguish his\/her cigarette, you should ask to see that person\u2019s\u00a0MTSU ID.\u00a0 Write down the name and ID number, or photograph the card with your smartphone.\u00a0 If a student, provide this information to Laura\u00a0Lightsy at\u00a0laura.lightsy@mtsu.edu ; if faculty or staff, send the information to Kathy\u00a0Musselman at kathy.musselman@mtsu.edu.\u00a0 If the individual refuses to extinguish the cigarette and\/or provide an ID, contact Public Safety at 2424 and ask for assistance.<\/p>\n

We will continue our efforts to assure that the campus is aware of our policy. \u00a0Areas where frequent violations of our tobacco-free policy have been observed will be getting more attention, ranging from increased signage to visits by Public Safety officers and others, to ensure that community members are aware of our shared responsibilities.<\/p>\n

I appreciate your attention to this matter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Jan. 1, 2012, the University\u2019s Tobacco Free policy went into effect following a six-month grace period, which allowed the campus to get prepared and acclimated.\u00a0 We have been very pleased with the general acceptance of this new policy and have noticed a significant decrease in the use of tobacco products on our campus.\u00a0 Reports […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":114,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1897"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1897\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3045,"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1897\/revisions\/3045"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/114"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}