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BEYOND HEALTH: POTENTIAL IMPLICATIONS
OF FAILURE TO ADDRESS CAMPUS TOBACCO ISSUES
The impact of tobacco use on campus extends beyond health
effects. Schools that fail to address tobacco use could face
potential negative consequences such as lawsuits, financial
losses, and reduced academic reputation.
Lawsuits:
- Tobacco lawsuits are a prominent feature in today’s
legal landscape. In an increasingly litigious society, grounds
for lawsuits against colleges can take several forms:
- Faculty and Staff. The Occupational
Safety & Health Association (OSHA) requires that
employers provide a safe working environment for employees.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) classification
of Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) as a Class A Carcinogen
means that employers who do not provide a smoke-free
environment may be in violation with OSHA guidelines.
No threshold has been established that marks a safe
level of exposure to ETS. Consider the custodial, maintenance,
and residence life staff that work in dorms where smoking
is permitted. Employee ETS exposure in such situations
make lawsuits feasible.
- The Americans with Disabilities Act calls for employers
to protect against exposure to ETS. People with asthma,
tobacco-related allergies, chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease, and cardiovascular disease are all at risk
of impairment due to ETS. If colleges do not make reasonable
accommodations, faculty and staff with respiratory disorders
can claim that they have been discriminated against
due to their disability (http://www.tobacco.neu.edu/tobacco_control/
resources/ETS/adainfo1.htm).
- Students and Alumni. Due
to housing shortages, students who request smoke-free
living space are sometimes unavoidably placed in dorms
where smoking is permitted. Unwanted exposure to ETS
in the residence halls could pose legal problems to
colleges if students or even alumni develop smoking-related
illnesses. More and more schools are implementing smoke-free
residence halls because of their protective health and
safety benefits.
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Lower Academic Performance and
Appeal
- As is outlined in the Negative
Effects of Tobacco fact sheet, tobacco use has been
associated with lower GPAs among students. Smoking prevalence
is also lower at highly selective schools. Smoking can thus
lower a school’s reputation in terms of academic performance
and possibly detract from its ability to bolster student
achievement and attract top students.
- As smoking becomes less tolerable throughout society,
potential students and their parents are finding smoke-free
campuses increasingly appealing. Consider that Bowdoin College
President Barry Mills received a dozen letters from parents
of incoming students praising him for Bowdoin’s
Smoke-Free Dorm Policy. When President Robert Carothers
announced the University
of Rhode Island’s smoke-free policies at freshman
orientation in 2001, he received standing ovations from
both students and parents. As schools compete for top students,
those who fail to create a smoke-free environment may fall
behind.
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