Beginning September 1st, smokers need to take their butts off the EvCC campus
For years, smoking has been allowed in designated areas on the Everett Community College campus. Soon, that will no longer be the case. On July 17th the Everett Community College’s Board of Trustees unanimously voted to prohibit tobacco use on college property. According to a press release issued by the college today, the changes will take effect Sept. 1 at all college properties. Violators may face fines or disciplinary action.
“The new policy will make the college a healthier place to work and study and contribute to improving the long-term the health of our community,” said Pat Sisneros, EvCC Vice President of College Services. The college, which allowed smoking and other tobacco use in designated areas, has considered the policy change since 2009.
In a 2010 survey of EvCC faculty, staff and students, nearly 60 percent of the more than 800 respondents favored a smoking ban on campus. Of students who took the survey, 61 percent were in favor of a ban. EvCC shared information about the proposed ban with students via the college newspaper and class schedule and with neighbors at a Northwest Neighborhood Association meeting.
EvCC is not the first college to ban tobacco use. Several other Washington state schools, including Clark College in Vancouver and Lower Columbia College in Longview, are tobacco free, More than 280 schools nationwide ban tobacco use, according to the American Lung Association.
July 18, 2012
Everett