Students walking down the Skinner Mall no longer have to inhale second-hand smoke, see cigarette butts lying on the ground or have to step over discarded chew. Creighton’s campus went tobacco-free on July 1, 2008, a fact that is well-known to the smoker and non-smoker, alike.

In order to make Creighton a tobacco-free campus, the university set up programs and task forces to make sure that everyone is following the rule. The task force is continuing to develop enforcement options for those who remain noncompliant with the tobacco-free ruling.

If a student is using tobacco on campus, a tobacco-free informational card will be given to the student advising them of the university’s tobacco-free policy. These cards will be issued by other students, faculty, staff, administration and Public Safety.

“Last year’s goal was about education of students and faculty and staff on the policy. This year, the goal has moved toward enforcement,” Rick Helms, tobacco programs coordinator said.

The tobacco task force encourages students, faculty and staff to directly and politely educate those unaware of the policy or remind those who disregard it.

Thousands of colleges and universities across the country are tobacco-free, but Creighton was the first Jesuit and Nebraska university to make this commitment. It set the standards and made Creighton a leader for schools such as St. Mary’s and UNO who soon followed in the tobacco-free campus footsteps.

The Rev. John Schlegel, S.J., introduced the idea of a tobacco-free campus in October of 2007 and steps were taken to make this dream become a reality. But what does this mean now for students, and why does this benefit the Creighton community?

“Creighton is dedicated to providing a healthy, comfortable and productive living and working environment for faculty, staff and students, as well as for our clients, customers and visitors. And because our mission calls us to improve the health of the individuals and communities we serve, we believe the university has a responsibility to take a leadership role on this major health issue,” Deborah Daley, director of public relations, said.

If students are recognized as repeat policy violators, their names will be forwarded to the appropriate student services office for normal disciplinary procedures. Some of these disciplinary procedures include tobacco therapy and going in front of the student judiciary board.

Helms believes the easiest way to quit smoking is to have never started in the first place, but how does a student go about quitting once they start?

The Cardiac Center offers a program called Commit to Quit for the general public. Commit to Quit has helped hundreds of people quit tobacco, Helms said. There is also the Tobacco-Free Quitline (1-800-QUIT-NOW), which is telephone-based counseling funded by Tobacco Free Nebraska. A tobacco cessation program has been offered at Creighton in the past as well.

“If there is currently interest, we are willing to offer this program to students again,” Helms said.

However, this tobacco ban does not only apply to students, but also the Creighton faculty and staff.

“Tobacco-free policies have shown to decrease risk factors for lots of diseases, increasing employee health. This reduces the number of sick days and makes for happier, more productive employees,” Helms said.

While some students and staff may have decided to quit smoking, others just have to walk a further distance to light up that cigarette, while others have decided to use chewing tobacco.

“I’m not a really big fan of this tobacco-free campus idea. I’ll adhere to the rules, but they won’t keep me from smoking. I also have a problem with the safety of students who want to continue smoking and are forced to walk off of campus to do so. I just don’t feel that it is safe,” Business junior Kurt Pauley said.

However, some students have decided to curtail their smoking habit and are trying to slowly quit.

“Because Creighton has gone tobacco-free, I’ve been smoking a lot less. It’s a hassle to walk off of campus just to enjoy a cigarette.,” Alan Schwegler, Arts & Sciences senior, said.”I am trying to quit, and this tobacco-free campus policy is slowly aiding me to quit.”

For the students who have never started smoking, this tobacco-free campus policy excites them.

“I’ve never been a smoker. I just hate the way it leaves my hair and clothes smelling. I’m really glad that Creighton is enforcing the tobacco-free policy this year. I never have to inhale second-hand smoke, and that’s awesome,” Bailey Downey, Nursing junior, said. “I should never have to inhale second-hand smoke while at school.”

For the complete article and more information on the smoking ban, check out creightonian.com.