Editor,
Last year a group of concerned individuals came together to promote a smoke-free campus for north campus, main campus and all branch campuses.
The objectives of the Coalition for a UNM Smoke-Free Campus are to inform the community of the harms of smoking and secondhand smoke, moving secondhand smoke a reasonable distance from buildings and spots of congregation, and to amend the current UNM policy. A UNM smoke-free campus will promote healthier lifestyles and a healthier workplace.
A goal of the coalition is to promote a healthier campus for visitors of all ages, prospective students, enrolled students, staff, faculty and hospital patients. We are saddened when we think of the unhealthy example we set for young visitors and the harmful effects of secondhand smoke we inhale daily.
Further, we have day care centers on campus that many students use for their children. What type of message do we send to the community and to our peer institutions about how we address the problems associated with secondhand smoke?
The coalition seeks to change the policy - which bans smoking in all University buildings - to a smoke-free UNM campus.
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In doing so, UNM would join the ranks of smoke-free campuses that include the University of Arkansas, Riverside Community College, Gainesville State College, San Antonio College, San Jacinto College and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Also, citywide there are various designated smoke-free areas, including Albuquerque's Zoo and Biological Park and day care centers.
A smoke-free campus can also serve as a support and an impetus for those who want to quit. The coalition will make it a priority to connect these individuals with the smoking cessation programs and therapies they need to be successful, and will advocate for health insurance cost reductions for tobacco-free employees.
The CASA Commission on Substance Abuse at Colleges and Universities considers a smoke-free campus to be a necessary step to protect all students, faculty and staff from the risks of smoking.
A smoke-free campus is no longer an option for colleges and universities - it is an obligation. The surgeon general noted that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke, and that tobacco use in any form, active or passive, is a significant health hazard.
Please consider the future health of all of us.
Kristen Woodruff
UNM student
