Archive of Campus Notices

Dec. 9, 2011

A decision has been made to slow the process of moving to a tobacco-free campus. The goal has not changed. PLU will become a tobacco-free campus on or around June 1, 2012. However, we are slowing down the process in order to receive additional input from the campus community to help us shape the new policy.

In addition, the voluntary compliance period that was to begin February 8, 2012 will be changed to be a public information and education period. There will be no voluntary compliance period in advance of policy implementation.
A report to the community from the task force is available here. The task force welcomes comments and feedback at tfree@plu.edu or by attending scheduled forums:
January 10, 2012, 12:30 to 1:30 PM, University Center 201
January 12, 2012, 10 to 11 AM, Hauge 219

Additional forums will take place in February.

Nov 4, 2011

With the start of Spring Semester 2012, (February 8) Pacific Lutheran University will become a tobacco-free campus. During spring semester, compliance will be voluntary with education and support as the primary goals. Full policy implementation will begin June 1, 2012.
This decision has been prompted both by ongoing concerns for the health and wellness of the community and by recent calls from students, faculty and staff that the university act now to become a tobacco-free and smoke-free campus.
Certainly the ill effects of tobacco are well documented:

  • The Surgeon General states that tobacco use in any form, active and/or passive, is a significant health hazard (Office of the Surgeon General).
  • Environmental tobacco smoke has been classified as a Class-A carcinogen and there is no safe level of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (US Environmental Protection Agency).
  • Smoking is responsible for more deaths each year than drugs, alcohol abuse, car crashes, AIDS, murder, and suicide combined (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

Becoming a tobacco-free campus is in keeping with PLU’s commitment to promote and support a healthy and safe campus environment for all – it is a core value and a central part of our mission. As of July, over 500 colleges and universities are smoke/ tobacco free. The American College Health Association (ACHA) has adopted a “no tobacco use” policy and encourages colleges and universities to achieve a 100% indoor and outdoor campus-wide tobacco free environment.

A task force of students, faculty and staff has been charged with policy development and implementation. Those interested in being part of the task force should contact Teri Phillips, Director of Human Resources, x7187 or phillitp@plu.edu. The task force will be holding open sessions this fall, to receive input from the community during policy development. The first sessions are scheduled for:

  • November 10, 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., UC 133
  • November 14, Noon to 1 p.m., UC Scandinavian Center

A website has been setup www.plu.edu/tobacco-free and includes additional information on current task force membership as well as links to various resources, including support groups at PLU for students, staff and faculty. This website will be updated regularly as the campus moves toward becoming tobacco free.