Purdue beefs up smoking policy

Purdue University implemented changes to the smoking policy on campus for the fall of 2005. The new policy is strikingly similar to the one in place at IU.\nUnder the new policy, which took effect Aug. 22, smokers now must stand 30 feet away from buildings when lighting up, further than the campus' original 20-foot barrier. Preexisting policies have banned the sale of cigarettes on campus and advertisements promoting smoking.\nOnly a few years ago Purdue discovered a national company distributing tins of Skull smokeless tobacco on the campus. Many of the school's officials and administrators felt this had negative influence on the campus, but there was no documentation stating these actions were against the school's policy.\nCarol Shelby, senior director of environmental health and public safety at Purdue, said she conducted extensive research concerning smoking policies at IU and other Big Ten schools. The information they gathered about other schools' smoking policies heavily influenced their decision to place smoking containers 30 feet from campus buildings.\n"I hope people use this as a good neighbor policy and feel comfortable enough to ask people to move who are smoking too close to buildings on campus," Shelby said. "For those who do not there is an online campus non-smoking concern form for students to fill out."\nIf smokers refuse to comply with the new smoking regulations they will be turned over to the Purdue dean of students' existing disciplinary policy. Steve Akers, executive associate dean of students at Purdue, said he plans to take a reasonable approach for those who initially refuse to comply with the smoking ban.\nShelby does not feel that this will be an issue.\n"I drove around campus yesterday to areas notorious for smokers, and people really are moving," Shelby said. "The students knew this was coming, the University was very vocal about it. I believe that this will be a behavior change"