Resonding to a dramatic increase over the past decade in the numbers of college-age smokers, the American Cancer Society’s Smoke-Free New England Campus Initiative is a comprehensive seven-step program that empowers college students to make their campuses smoke-free.

The program’s immediate goals are to prevent tobacco-related deaths and to promote civic and individual wellness on college campuses throughout New England. Looking to the future, the program’s long-term objective is to positively affect the behavior of an entire generation. (Links to a how-to manual and other helpful documents for college activists are listed below.)

Among all smokers, the prevalence by age is highest among college-age people (ages 18-24). The annual prevalence of tobacco use among all smokers since 1990 has remained virtually unchanged, meaning that other age groups are decreasing tobacco use while college students are smoking at a greater rate.

Recent studies show that there is an intense need for effective smoking cessation programs on campus. As a result, the American Cancer Society has made colleges, universities, and other institutions of higher education a top priority.

Tobacco causes 30% of all cancer deaths. A recent Center for Disease Control study (April 2002) reports that smoking related illness costs the nation more than $157 billion annually. Of all smokers, one in three will die prematurely from tobacco use.

Two Harvard School of Public Health studies published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine and the Journal of American College Health in March 2001 reported that colleges and universities can reduce smoking among students by making dormitories smoke-free and improving smoking cessation programs.

The studies found that:

• Non-smokers are 40% less likely to become smokers if they live in smoke-free dorms, but only 27% of colleges prohibit smoking in dorms.
• The relationship of type of residence to smoking status differed according to students’ smoking histories. Among students who were not regular smokers before age 19, current cigarette use was significantly lower for those living in smoke-free housing than for those in unrestricted housing. Among students who had smoked regularly before age 19, there was no difference in current cigarette use by housing type.
• Of schools with cessation programs, only 31% reported having individualized counseling. Only 25% offer comprehensive programs with counseling, screening and assessment by a physician or health professional. Only 19% offer cessation products approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

The researchers concluded that cessation programs must be better tailored to students' needs and marketed more effectively.

For the past several years, the American Cancer Society has engaged in a number of collaborative efforts with government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private enterprises to reduce and eliminate tobacco use, especially in public places. Responding to data showing a significant increase in college-age smoking over the past decade, the Society is focusing its efforts on institutions of higher education throughout the New England region. The Smoke-Free New England Campus Initiative is a multifaceted, comprehensive program that utilizes a proven, seven-step approach for reducing or eliminating smoking among defined communities.

The Smoke-Free New England Campus Initiative is based on three precepts which define each respective college’s responsibility and opportunity to dramatically reduce the risk of cancer and other diseases if meaningful and proven tobacco control measures are instituted:

1. The fact that the national college smoking rate has climbed suggests that universities and colleges act as passive breeding grounds for cancer. Allowing the sale of tobacco products on campus puts colleges in an ethical quandary. This tacit permission, apart from any profit from tobacco sales, makes colleges complicit in harming their student’s lives.
2. As owners of residential property, colleges and universities have the right to regulate the way the space is treated. Significant smoking-related damage, from extra cleaning to fires, harms property and costs the school money. Most colleges and universities have rules against even slightly damaging actions like using tacks or adhesive tapes on dorm walls. Banning smoking in rooms is one more facet of preventive maintenance. More and more property owners in the real world now only accept nonsmokers for this reason.
3. Because college life serves as a bridge between adolescence and adulthood, institutions of higher learning are deeply invested in both academic achievement and in developing life skills that will promote individual and civic wellness. Colleges prepare students to cope with the realities of adult living. One emerging reality is that few indoor spaces permit smoking. In growing numbers, worksites, restaurants, public buildings, shopping malls, and even private homes are 100% smoke-free.

1. Prohibit smoking within all university-affiliated buildings (including residence halls, administrative facilities, classrooms, and fraternities and sororities) and at all university sponsored events — both indoor and outdoor. Classrooms, dorm rooms, offices, living rooms, etc. should all be explicitly stated. Smoke-Free campuses are becoming more popular as students and parents become increasingly aware of the dangers of involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke and the increased risk of fire in settings where smoking is permitted.
2. Prohibit the sale of tobacco products on campus. The availability of tobacco products in campus stores serves only to reinforce the notion that smoking is socially normative, sanctioned adult behavior. This policy also eliminates students’ ability to use “points” or other campus monetary credits to buy tobacco products.
3. Prohibit the free distribution of tobacco products on campus, including fraternities and sororities. Tobacco companies are attempting to lure would-be smokers by providing free “samples” of tobacco products at functions sponsored by college social groups such as fraternities and sororities, as well as at nearby clubs and bars. These giveaways are especially prevalent in settings where alcohol is being used because smoking experimentation is more likely when one’s judgment is impaired.
4. Prohibit tobacco advertisements in college-run publications. Encourage the editorial board to follow the lead of newspapers such as The New York Times, which has ceased advertising tobacco products. Even better, encourage a ban on accepting any tobacco industry advertising (such as the feel-good Phillip Morris ads).
5. Provide free, accessible tobacco treatment on campus – and advertise it. Encourage students and staff who smoke to get help quitting, and make it easy for them to access free services. If existing services aren’t being used, conduct research to find out why. Then adapt the program accordingly. Include tobacco treatment in college health plans as a covered benefit.
6. Prohibit campus organizations from accepting money from tobacco companies. For example, do not allow organizations receiving money from the university to hold parties sponsored by tobacco companies at which they give out free samples and gear.
7. Prohibit the university from holding stock in or accepting donations from the tobacco industry. Divest all institutional stock holdings in tobacco companies. Educational institutions should prohibit the practice of profiting from investments in tobacco companies as those investments are directly tied to the intentional addiction of individuals, ultimately leading to premature illness and death for many consumers. In addition, colleges and universities should enact policies prohibiting the acceptance of any donations or grants from the tobacco industry; whether the money is intended for research, funding or other university-sponsored programs.

Everything you need to initiate a smoke-free campaign on your campus can be downloaded from this page. You will find a manual titled Advocating for a Tobacco-Free Campus that includes action plans, strategies for dealing with the college administration and the media, specific activities guaranteed to spark public debate, and provocative flyers you can reproduce.

In addition, we have included multiple fact sheets, sample policies, a sample timeline for adoption and implementation of a smoke-free policy, sample press releases, and articles on the subject that have appeared in various campus publications and newspapers.

If you have any doubt about the importance of eliminating smoke from the air you breathe day in, day out, consider these cold, hard facts:

• Smoking kills more Americans every year than alcohol, illegal drugs, homicide, suicide, car accidents, fire, and AIDS combined.
• Tobacco use accounts for 1 out of every 5 deaths – 61 each day – in New England.
• 50% of chronic tobacco users will suffer death or disability due to tobacco
• 85% of lung cancers – the leading cause of cancer death for men and women – are due to tobacco use
• One-third of all cancer deaths are due to tobacco.
• Smoking is the most preventable cause of death in our society.

While we encourage you to be creative in how you promote and distribute this information, we ask that you do not change the data and core materials we have provided.

Special thanks go to the students who wrote most of the materials: Tim Barry, Jessica Morganoff and Laurel Trayes, all Boston University Class of 2002 students; and Sheryl Trager, Tufts University, Class of 2001.

If you have questions, comments or suggestions at any time during your campaign, please do not hesitate to contact: Kathy O’Connor at the American Cancer Society at 1-800-952-7664, extension 4690.

Good luck with your campaign!

Learn more about Smoke-Free New England

Advocating for a Tobacco-Free Campus: A Manual for College and University Students

Facts About Campus Smoking

Facts About Fire Safety and Smoking

Smoke-Free Workers Save Employers Money

Smoke-Free Campuses Reduce Fire Risk

Tips for Residence Assistants

Sample Smoke-Free College Policy

Standards for Creating a Tobacco-Free Campus

Sample Timetable for Implementing a Smoke-Free Campus

Lessons Learned

American College Health Association's Position Statement on Tobacco on College Campuses

Sample Student Resolution Regarding Sale of Tobacco on Campus

Questions and Answers About Tobacco-Free Campuses

How the American Cancer Society Can Help

Feb. 2002 Campus Firewatch

Smoke-Free Campuses in the News

Sample Press Releases

Sample Feature and Op-Ed Articles

Quit Tips