EMCC Tobacco Policy Going Well

PRESS RELEASE

On Jan. 1, East Mississippi Community College maintenance staff installed “Tobacco Free” signs across the college’s campuses and removed the ashtrays that had been outdoor fixtures since the Scooba campus was established in 1927.

The use of all forms of tobacco are banned, including cigarettes, cigars, pipes, dip and snuff, as well as e-cigarettes, vapor-emitting products and “synthetic substances other than tobacco.” The policy applies to EMCC faculty, staff and students, as well as college visitors, contractors and vendors.

The use of tobacco and smoking products is not permitted on any EMCC buildings, grounds, parking areas, walkways, recreational and sporting facilities, and college-owned vehicles. The only exception is the Lion Hills Center, where tobacco products are discouraged but allowed outdoors by visitors to the facility, which features a restaurant and golf course. EMCC employees may not use tobacco products at the Lion Hills Center.

Deionia Turner of Columbus, a student at EMCC’s Scooba campus, said she is glad the campus is tobacco-free.

“I have asthma and when I smell cigarette smoke, I really can’t breathe,” Turner said. “It just shows the college cares about people like me.”

EMCC President Dr. Thomas Huebner said providing students with a tobacco-free environment is essential to promoting their well-being.

“We owe it to our students to set a positive example by promoting healthy lifestyle choices,” Huebner said.

For EMCC head baseball coach Chris Rose, reaching for a dip of Copenhagen smokeless tobacco is second nature. He has done it for 23 years. For Rose, whose craving for a dip is at its worst when he is outside, on the baseball field, the idea of quitting the habit is scary. But he understands why the college’s new policy is needed.

“I think the idea and the intent of the rule is an admirable thing and this should be a message that our college sends,” Rose said. “If it just affects one person, you have done something.”

EMCC Director of Wellness Kate McCarty said help breaking the addiction to tobacco is available through the Mississippi Tobacco Quitline at 1-800-784-8669.

Any visitors to the campus using tobacco products will be informed of the new policy and asked to comply. Faculty and staff who do not obey the policy can be referred to their supervisor. Noncompliant students can be referred to the Dean of Students. McCarty asks that anyone who speaks to someone using tobacco on campus do so in a respectful manner.

“People need to remember this is going to be physically hard for a lot of people who have been using tobacco for a long time and that they are going to experience some withdrawal symptoms,” McCarty said. “At the same time, we are asking that all tobacco users comply with the policy the same way they would with any other rule or regulation.”

EMCC student Alicia Robertson of Geiger, Ala., likes the move to a tobacco-free campus.

“I think this will keep some kids from getting addicted to tobacco,” Robertson said. “That’s a good thing.”

Golden Triangle Dean of Student Affairs Cathy Kemp said she is not aware of a single infraction of the policy since it went into effect.

“I am so proud of our faculty and student body for their compliance,” Kemp said.