Citrus College will be a smoke and tobacco-free campus starting in fall 2019.
This follows the passage of AP 3570, which states that the Citrus Community College District now prohibits the use of “cigarettes, cigars, snuff and chewing tobacco of any kind, pipes of all kinds including hookahs and bongs, smokeless devices including non-regulated nicotine products, any electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS), and any controlled substance as referenced in Board Policy 5500 Standards of Conduct,” by the ASCC and the Citrus College Board of Trustees.
The ASCC voted to approve the administrative procedure 7-3 on Oct. 9, 2018, while the BOT approved it on Dec. 10, 2018.
This policy applies to students, faculty, staff, administrators, visitors and general members of the public. The ban applies to all college district property, which AP 3570 said includes “both indoor and outdoor areas of property that is owned, leased, or otherwise controlled by the District, including but not limited to: classrooms, offices, lobbies, lounges, waiting areas, stairwells, restrooms, walkways, sidewalks, lawns, athletic fields and viewing stands, parking lots, warehouses, storage yards, and District-owned or leased vehicles.”
Despite the extensive list of banned locations, areas not owned or controlled by the district will still permit smoking and tobacco use to the extent permitted by local, state and federal law.
“The only location would probably be the sidewalk, because that belongs to the city, not to the District,” Rosario Garcia, Student Life Supervisor, said, “Any inside parking lots belong to the District. In the parking lot, if you’re in your car and you’re smoking, it’s the same thing. You’re parked on District property, it won’t be an excuse.”
This administrative procedure followed the Board of Governors for the California Community College system adoption of a resolution in 2018 that urged “the adoption and implementation of 100% smoke and and tobacco-free policies at all 114 California Community Colleges and all 72 college districts.”
Eloy Ortiz Oakley, chancellor of California Community Colleges, sent a memorandum to all California Community College campus presidents and Chief Business officers on July 26, 2018.
In the memorandum, Eloy said, “Adopting 100 percent smoke and tobacco free campus environments promotes health and wellness for all members of the campus community. Developing and implementing policies in support of 100 percent smoke and tobacco free campus environments decreases exposure to secondhand smoke, changes tobacco use behaviors, decreases tobacco related liter [sic] on campus, prepares students for smoke free work environments, and decreases exposure to new and emerging tobacco and nicotine products.”
In the transcript of the ASCC meeting on Oct. 9, 2018 in which AP 3570 was approved, Maryann Tolano-Leveque, dean of students at Citrus College, said that in a Citrus College survey on community college smoking policies conducted in 2016, 76% of students voted on having either specified zones for smoking or to ban smoking altogether.
It is also recorded in the transcript that, until this point, Citrus College was the only Community College campus in California to have no implemented policies in regards to smoking, with no specified smoking zones.
In June 2018, the organizations “Campuses Organized and United for Good Health” and “California Youth Advocacy Network” presented the “California College and University Smoke/Tobacco-Free Policy Report Card.” The report’s documentation said it was a collaborative effort of the two organizations to review and assess “current tobacco use policies on all 147 public colleges and universities in the state,” with the first report released in 2016.
The 2018 report card gave Citrus College the lowest possible letter grade of “F” for its tobacco-related policies. Out of 100 possible points, Citrus was awarded 35. These were given because smoking, including use of e-cigarettes, was banned within 20 feet of entrances to public buildings on campus. This policy followed California Government Code 7597, which mandates the minimum distance.
Achieving a higher score required steps such as having designated smoking areas, delegating smoking to parking lots only. The highest possible score could only be achieved by going 100% smoke free, including all tobacco and e-cigarette products.
AP 3570 also stated that “the District offers resources for students who are interested in quitting smoking or the use of tobacco. For free resources and referrals, students can visit the Student Health Center located in the Student Services building. Additionally, students who are interested in smoking cessation are encouraged to explore the free services offered by the California Smokers Helpline at 1-800-NOBUTTS and www.nobutts.org.”
Additional assistance in the form of funding comes from a grant awarded to Citrus College by the CVS Health Foundation in 2017, which has partnered with the American Cancer Society and Truth Initiative to help U.S. colleges become 100% tobacco free, according to a press release from the Foundation on Sept. 20, 2017. Citrus College is one of 21 colleges and universities receiving such a grant in California, said the release.
The release also said, “The grants are part of aggressive efforts by all three organizations to deliver the first tobacco-free generation by accelerating and expanding the number of campuses across the country that prohibit smoking and tobacco use.”
Notice of the policy change will be affected through additional signage, said Garcia. Garcia also said that the ashtrays throughout campus will be removed eventually, although she was unaware of when and how long their removal would take.
Fred Diamond, director of facilities and construction for Citrus College, said he had not yet heard communication regarding ashtrays or signage, in an email on May 15.
Enforcement of the ban is laid out in AP 3570 as well, with two different procedures to be followed, one for the enforcement of students, and one for the enforcement of visitors.
Students that violate the new policy that are either reported to or observed by campus safety will be given a verbal warning for their first offense, a written warning for their second offense, and a referral to the dean of students for disciplinary action for the third offense.
Similarly, visitors in violation of the ban will be reported to campus safety, and will be advised of the tobacco-free policy. If the visitor refuses to comply, they will be escorted off college District property.
College employees in violation of the policy may be “disciplined in accordance with the applicable collective bargaining agreement and/or the California Education Code,” according to AP3570.
Andrew Ilagan, 21, a Citrus College freshman majoring in psychology, smokes an e-cigarette. He said that he has mixed feelings about the new ban.
“I do respect the people who don’t like cigarettes, so to be more considerate to them the smoking areas should be more secluded from the general public on campus so that non-smokers don’t have to deal with the smell/smoke,” Ilagan said in an email on May 20, “They shouldn’t take away smoking on campus because it’s already established and students expect to be able to smoke on campus.”
Garcia said that she expects it will take a few years for students to become acclimated to the new policy. She said she thinks as students that are accustomed to smoking leave Citrus, memory of the old policy will leave with them, allowing the smoking ban to become the new norm for incoming students.
