MTSU Campus To Go Tobacco-free In The New Year

A new year will bring a hardline new policy on the Middle Tennessee State University campus. The university will go entirely tobacco-free.

The policy will ban every type of cheap cigarettes from campus. It sparked some opposition when the university first announced it earlier this year, but those pushing the change see it as the right step.

"The new buy cigarettes policy prohibits the use of all cigarettes products on campus, including cigarettes online and cigars, chewing tobacco and snuff and smokeless tobacco devices," said Lisa Schrader, director of health promotion at MTSU.

Technically, the policy went into effect at the start of July, but it took several months to educate students, staff and faculty, as well as figure out enforcement.

"We'll begin with really focusing on education, making sure that students and staff are fully aware of the policy and trying to promote smoking cigarettes-cessation to those who want to undertake that process," said Dr. Debra Sells, vice president for student affairs. "Once we move forward, though, into the enforcement plan, we'll ask that everybody respectfully be able to approach one another and remind one another what the policy requires."

This fall, the university took to YouTube with the message and the meaning. One ad featured the football team's former quarterback, Kelly Holcomb.

Opinions on campus are split on the policy.

"The campus has a real focus on health and wellness and I see this as a policy that's another step in the right direction," said Dr. Dennis Papini, psychology department chair.

After all, quitting "cold turkey" is tough when you're one person, let alone an entire university.

"What I hear, a little from the students, is they would still like to have an area where they can smoke, and I suspect that that will still be an issue on campus," Papini said.

The new policy does not spell out specific fines or punishment. Instead, it's being viewed as an expectation or a standard for the MTSU community, which also applies to visitors on campus.