In a spring 2007 survey of 480 UNCW students, 85% believed that non-smokers should not have to walk through a haze of smoke to reach the inside of campus buildings and facilities.

In accordance with this wish, UNCW officially adopted its first tobacco restriction policy on June 1, 2008. It is aimed at promoting health and eliminating exposure to cigarette smoke and toxins.

Tobacco use is now prohibited inside any UNCW building or state vehicle and banned from being sold on campus or distributed for free. Smoking is banned from within 25 feet of any building entrance and student organizations may not receive funding from tobacco companies.

“UNCW didn’t have an official written policy [before this],” said Rebecca Caldwell, director of Crossroads, UNCW’s Substance Abuse Prevention and Education Program. “So buildings on campus started to come up with their own policies.”

The state of North Carolina passed two laws July of 2007, outlawing smoking in state owned buildings and allowing the UNC sister schools to regulate smoking outside their buildings up to a distance of 100 ft.

Before putting a solid policy into effect, UNCW surveyed students and faculty.

“We did on campus studies to figure out our level of support,” said Caldwell. “The recommendation of the health association is 20 ft [from each building] so we started with 25 and we gathered a lot of support after surveying and meeting with groups. We decided that it was a good start for us.”

Surveys showed that 86% of students on campus support the 25 ft radius around buildings.

In the future, UNCW might re-examine this footage number, but for now, everyone is comfortable with it.

UNC Chapel Hill is the only UNC campus that extended their policy to the full 100 ft. Caldwell said, “They’re so densely packed that it really made them smoke free, but they’re really the only ones who have gone that far.”

Likewise, East Carolina University has a 25 ft policy while Appalachian State has a 50 ft regulation.

“About half of us have put something in place by now and the others are in the works,” said Caldwell.

“We hope that students will get in the habit of not exposing other people to second hand smoke,” said Caldwell. “Every year we get complaints from students who are asthmatic or have other health concerns and in order to walk into class they must pass through smoke.”

She continued “We’re hoping people will get in the habit of moving out of the way or stopping and stepping away further from the building so the smoke doesn’t impact other people.”

Caldwell predicts that this culture shift will be a reflection of other NC counties that have tobacco free campuses and that the policy will be well received as 90% of the campus is still open to smokers.

Faculty and staff are not necessarily concerned with enforcing a strict policy, but educating students of the new change around campus.

“I think we can get most people on board without having to be authoritative about it,” said Caldwell. “We’re really encouraging everyone to just have a conversation with someone [about the policy], especially since it’s new.”

UNCW is currently moving butt buckets 25 ft out from each building and putting up informational posters about the policy around campus. One staff member from each building will attend a 90 minute training session about how important the policy is and how to promote it.

Coupons for free cups of coffee will be rewarded to those seen in compliance with the new rule.

“It’s just as important to thank those who are complying,” said Caldwell. “There is a 90% compliance rate out of positive social pressure.”

“We want to be smart and strategic about this [policy],” she added. “It’s to reduce exposure to secondhand smoke. That’s why we wrote policy, but policies do sometimes lead people to quit smoking.”

Visit seahawks.stopsmokingcenter.net to learn about how to stop smoking.