Smoking/Tobacco

Converse University seeks to provide a safe, healthy, and comfortable environment in which all members of our campus community can live and work. Converse University and The American University Health Association support the findings of the Surgeon General and acknowledge that any form of tobacco use, whether active or passive, is a significant health hazard. The Environmental Protection Agency and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health have both classified second-hand smoke as a known carcinogen (cancer-causing). The University realizes that a smoke and tobacco-free environment is a goal we can achieve through intentional and positive steps to ensure a healthier environment. In pursuit of this goal, Converse University has been a tobacco-free campus since August 1, 2012.

The Policy 

1. The use of any tobacco products is prohibited on all University property. “University property” includes all buildings, facilities, grounds, and spaces leased, owned, or controlled by Converse University, whether or not signs are posted. This includes, but is not limited to: buildings on University-owned land, offices, classrooms, meeting rooms, laboratories, residential rooms and apartments, elevators, stairwells, balconies, decks, restrooms, bridges and walkways, sidewalks, parking structures/areas/lots, hallways, outdoor passageways and entrances, lobbies, common areas and athletic venues, including those with outdoor fixed seating.
2. No ashtrays, receptacles, or smoking shelters will be permitted.
3. The use of tobacco products is prohibited in University-owned, operated, or leased vehicles.
4. The use of tobacco products is prohibited in personal vehicles parked on University property.
5. “Tobacco and smoking products” include all tobacco-derived or containing products, including, but not limited to, cigarettes (e.g., clove, bidis, kreteks), electronic cigarettes (Juuls, etc.), vaping devices, cigars, and cigarillos, pipes, water pipes, smokeless tobacco products or substitutions (spit and spit-less, chew, pouches, snuff) or any other device intended to simulate smoked tobacco. This does not apply to nicotine replacement therapy, which is designed to assist tobacco users in quitting tobacco.
6. The sale or advertisement of tobacco and smoke products is prohibited on campus and in all University publications.
7. Enforcement of the policy is the responsibility of all members of the Converse community. Faculty, staff, and students are expected to uphold and enforce the policy for the health and safety of our campus.
8. Campus Safety Officers may issue a smoking citation with a fine of $25 when a violation is noted.
   1. Failure on the part of faculty or staff to abide by the policy prohibiting the use of tobacco products may result in administrative action up to and including discharge.
   2. Failure on the part of students to follow the policy prohibiting the use of tobacco products may result in a violation adjudicated by the appropriate board or administrative sanctioning, which could include but is not limited to community service, monetary fines, and/or suspension from the University.
   3. Visitors to the campus who repeatedly violate the policy prohibiting the use of tobacco products may be asked to leave University property.
9. All campus event organizers should inform and advertise to outside groups that “Converse University is a Tobacco-Free campus.”
10. The provisions of this policy apply 24 hours a day, seven days a week to all students, faculty, staff, visitors, volunteers, contractors and vendors unless otherwise noted.
11. Continual violations of the policy may result in disciplinary action. Failure on the part of faculty or staff may result in administrative action up to and including discharge. Failure on the part of students to follow this policy may result in a violation adjudicated by the appropriate board or administrative sanctioning, which could include but is not limited to community service, monetary fines, and/or suspension from the University.