San Diego State University is poised to join the growing ranks of smokefree universities, but hasn’t yet taken the leap.  A policy restricting smoking to designated areas has been on the books since May 2009, but, as of the end of the 2011 Spring semester, there has been no action towards implementing it.

Although the policy began with the intent of creating a 100% smokefree campus, by the time it went through input from various campus stakeholders, this goal was put on hold in favor of a non-smoking campus with limited designated smoking areas.

Polls conducted among SDSU students and other college populations show that from two-thirds to three-quarters of students support completely smokefree campuses.

Among the many benefits of a smoke-free campus are: fewer health risks due to smoking and secondhand smoke, less litter and a cleaner campus, and an increase in people thinking about and taking steps to quit smoking.

Several colleges in San Diego County are already 100% smoke-free and others are looking to be.  If you are an alumnus, please consider contacting the university to let them know that you support a smokefree SDSU and want them to dust off their policy and put it to work.  Contact Kathy Sullivan  ksullivan@alac.org or 619-683-8657 for more information.