College of DuPage pitches a campuswide tobacco ban
As of Aug. 6, smokers will likely have to extinguish their cigarettes for good on College of DuPage’s 273-acre campus, when a smoking ban is expected to go into effect.
The ban would also apply to the use of any tobacco-related products. However, students, faculty and visitors to the college will still be able to use tobacco in their own cars in college parking lots.
Smoking now is banned only indoors and within 25 feet of building entrances.
College officials say the move will create a cleaner, safer work and learning environment while promoting health and well-being.
They’ve been researching the possibility of a tobacco ban since the fall, taking a look at scientific literature and state and local insurance data. They’ve also talked with staffs at other schools who have bans in place.
It appeared the ban was all but official, awaiting approval by the college’s board of trustees next month. On Thursday, the proposed policy was formally introduced at a board meeting.
COD Board Chairman Dave Carlin said board members are “fully aware of the health constraints” of smoke when visitors enter college buildings, but they’re also favorable to the exemption of allowing tobacco use in vehicles.
Those who use tobacco may be subject to citations from the college’s police department or disciplinary action, for students and employees.
The American Lung Association has designated 270 colleges and universities nationwide as being “100 percent tobacco-free” — only two of which are in Illinois: Wheaton College and Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.
Other colleges in the area have various bans on tobacco use, though the restrictions vary.
McHenry County College in Crystal Lake adopted a tobacco-free policy last fall covering cigarettes and smokeless tobacco. Those who violate the policy may be subject to citations and fines issued by the campus police. The first violation results in a $50 fine, the second is $100, and any citations afterward could be as much as $250.
Smoking bans are in place at all four Waubonsee Community College campuses — in Sugar Grove, downtown Aurora, Plano and at the Rush-Copley Medical Center campus in Aurora. But use of smokeless tobacco is permitted.
At College of Lake County in Grayslake, a tobacco policy task force of faculty, staffers and students is looking into a potential ban. Tobacco use is allowed now in designated areas.
At Harper College in Palatine and Elgin Community College in Elgin, smoking is prohibited indoors and at athletic fields, but it is allowed in designated smoking areas.