More than a decade after advocates started pushing for the change, UNLV this month joined more than 2,000 universities nationwide in becoming a smoke-free campus.
Under the new policy adopted after being presented to the university policy committee and discussed with employees and students, all tobacco and marijuana products are prohibited including cigarettes, cigars, vape pens, bidis, smokeless tobacco and other nicotine products. It is one of the largest public colleges to make this change in Southern Nevada.
“The impetus for this was really improving the health and welfare of faculty, staff, students and visitors and anybody who comes on campus. So just the general health and well being,” said Shawn Gerstenberger, the dean of the UNLV School of Public Health.
This upcoming fall semester all students, faculty and staff members and guests who need a smoke break will have to leave campus property, including facilities such as the Thomas and Mack Center that hosts major games and events.
UNLV will also be providing resources for those looking to quit smoking. In partnership with the Southern Nevada Health District, American Lung Association, Nevada Tobacco Prevention Coalition and other health associations, students can gain access to counseling, cessation programs, educational sessions, hotlines and nicotine replacement therapy.
For those students who do not abide by the policy, the Office of Student Conduct will issue a first violation notice that includes education about the harms of smoking. Supervisors will be in charge of addressing violations with employees, and violations could also lead to written documentation of the student or employee’s non-compliance.
Developing the policy
In 2010, 2012 and 2015, similar statewide smoke-free plans for public colleges were proposed but did not succeed, partially because of a state law that required campuses to include at least one designated smoking area. After similar attempts, UNR finally became a smoke-free campus in 2018.
UNLV’s School of Public Health spent a year and a half developing the policy, with help from Southern Nevada Health District funding and other staff team members.
The process involved many steps, such as drafting the policy, then presenting it to the university policy committee, which oversees school policies and raises any initial concerns or suggestions.
“Once they’re kind of happy with that, we draft it into a policy which they then bless. And then that goes out for a public comment period to faculty, staff, and students,” Gerstenberger said.
After another several rounds of responding to questions and meeting with people from the campus, the draft policy was updated and placed for a vote, ultimately leading to final approval by the school president and provost. In the past, the policy went through these steps but was not approved by campus leaders.
“One of the real strengths in this policy is we did a six-month notification period, with free smoking cessation for all faculty, staff, and students for free,” Gerstenberger said.
A long fight for clean air
In 2010, Nancy York, assistant professor of UNLV School of Nursing, developed a similar plan that would have gone into effect in 2012.
“I think what will happen is when the students either bring it forward or the faculty to administration, there may be some negotiation about just how much of that comprehensive policy actually becomes a policy. But I think it may happen before 2012,” York told KNPR Nevada Public Radio in an interview in 2010.
That didn’t happen, though.
Absent a formal smoking ban, the school’s tobacco prevention outreach program held events such as The Great American Smokeout – calling for the individuals nationwide to quit or at least vow to smoke less.
With a $500,000 grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the school provided educational resources and programs, smoke-free advertising, research for school-wide…
Read More: UNLV outlaws smoking on campus after more than a decade of trying – The Nevada