WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Purdue University has backed away from a total ban on smoking on its main campus and instead will limit it to specific areas while prohibiting smoking in university motor vehicles.
The university sought suggestions from students, faculty and staff before announcing the new policy on Thursday. The policy, which takes effect July 1 on the West Lafayette campus, follows anti-smoking measures already in place at Indiana University, Ball State University, Ivy Tech Community College and other institutions.
Al Diaz, Purdue's executive vice president for business and finance, said the university met with several campus groups to discuss the policy and conducted a campus-wide survey.
"We modified the proposed policy from one that called for a total ban to one that will allow smoking in a few areas," he said.
Diaz will select the smoking areas.
"We set the start date as July 1 to give everyone ample opportunity to take advantage of our smoking cessation programs," he said.
Until the new policy takes effect, smoking will be allowed anywhere at least 30 feet from campus building and in designated areas in the Union Club Hotel.
Diaz said smoking by faculty and staff leads to increased medical costs, higher insurance rates, maintenance expenses, lower productivity and higher absenteeism. Smoking and, in some cases, secondhand smoke have been linked to health problems including heart disease, cancer and respiratory issues.
"We are counting on cooperation from our smokers," Diaz said. "Initially, we hope that peer-to-peer reminders will be effective."
More than 300 universities nationwide are smoke-free, and all of Purdue's regional campuses have nonsmoking policies. IU banned smoking in 2007 and Ball State in 2008. Several Ivy Tech Community College campuses also are smoke-free.
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