College policy restricts smoking

When students return to campus this fall, smoking will be banned on the Golden West College campus everywhere except the parking lot.

To signify the new nonsmoking policy, college officials plan to encircle the campus with a painted green line.

“I think it’s on pace with what’s happening in a number of public buildings and public spaces,” college President Wes Bryan said. “We want to make the first year to be educational and not in any way punitive. It gives emphasis to reinforcing a healthy environment. We’re also trying to invest in some nicer, attractive places in the designated areas for the smokers.”

Bryan said the college will offer free smoking-cessation classes. Two years ago, Golden West College had an opportunity to participate in a grant funded by the Orange County Health Care Agency Tobacco-free Communities project, and college administrators accepted it.

Golden West was awarded $15,000 per year for three years to pursue tobacco-educationrelated activities in an attempt to create a “culture change” of sorts, said Sylvia Worden, Golden West College’s associate dean of Student Health Services.

Golden West’s primary objective was to change the smoking policy on campus, and Worden hired college students as “peer health educators” to help initiate the change.

The grant money was used to produce marketing material such as table-tents on tables in smoke-free dining areas in restaurants, purchase advertising in the college paper, and educate and encourage restaurateurs to participate in outdoor, smoke-free dining.

Peer health educators also took 13 campus surveys of students, staff and prospective students over the past three semesters about the school’s smoking policies.

The surveys indicate a high percentage of those surveyed voted for a smoke-free campus: 60% of the students over three semesters, 71.6% of the staff during spring 2006 , 52% of prospective students on March 8 and 74.4% of prospective students March 14 indicated their smoke-free preference.

The college is budgeting money to make changes on campus, Worden said, like putting up signs that say the campus is smoke-free, but the “designated smoking areas” will be in the parking lots. The program is also considering stenciling a paint line around the campus that says, “No smoking beyond this line,” and providing cigarette ash cans attached to posts so students and campus guests can toss their cigarettes out as they “walk across the line,” and they’re also hoping to purchase shelters for smokers to stand under during the rainy season.

The college president is looking at various shelters with solar panels that light up at night to provide additional safety, Worden said. “We don’t mean to be punitive to smokers, and we don’t mean to make this some kind of issue.”

The new fiscal year begins in July, and Worden said she anticipates hiring more peer health educators. They’ll patrol the campus and educate smokers about smoking and non-smoking areas. Those who comply will receive complimentary gifts, such as coupons for cool drinks in the summer and hot drinks in the winter.