USC bans smoking in, near buildings

University president expects extension to all campus property in near future

By JAMES T. HAMMOND

jhammond@thestate.com

USC students returning to campus this fall will find a new, more restrictive smoking ban that includes all buildings and any outdoor space within 25 feet of a building.

Beginning Aug. 1, the prohibition against tobacco products also will include university-owned vehicles.

“We anticipate that at some future date, the policy will be expanded to eliminate tobacco use on all campus property, including our grounds,” said USC president Andrew Sorensen in a letter he plans to distribute to the university community.

“Cigarettes and other tobacco products have become the most serious litter problem on campus, and the expansion of the policy will help solve this issue as well as improve the health of our university community,” wrote Sorensen, who holds a doctorate in public health.

The new restrictions come on the heels of a June 27 report by U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona that cites scientific research that concluded there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke.

The surgeon general’s study found that nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke at home or work increase their risk of developing heart disease by 25 percent to 30 percent and lung cancer by 20 percent to 30 percent.

Ashley Akin, a USC senior from Greenville, said she’s glad smokers will no longer be allowed to cluster around the entrances to buildings.

“It is irritating to have smoke blown in your face when you are entering a class,” Akin said.

“I guess I have a tiny bit of sympathy for smokers to do what they want to do. But their right to smoke ends where my right to breathe healthy air begins.”

But Julian Raymond, a USC student from Irmo, was skeptical the university will enforce the ban. He said the residence halls have long banned smoking, but the restriction was seldom enforced.

“I’d be impressed if they can actually enforce it,” said Raymond, who smokes occasionally.

Michelle Bursin, director of USC’s Healthy Carolina initiative, said the ban is particularly important for future public health consequences because smoking is more prevalent among college-age people (ages 18-24) than any other age group.

Bursin said 23 percent of USC students reported smoking in the last 30 days in a recent survey. The American College Health Association has stated that one in 10 college students will die prematurely because of tobacco, Bursin said.

Campuswide smoking bans are the trend on campuses nationwide, Bursin said.

Gene Luna, associate vice president for student affairs, said the national trend in smoking in the 18-24 age group is on the rise.

“We hope this policy will help change that culture,” Luna said.

Columbia Mayor Bob Coble said he expects an anti-smoking group called Smoke-free Columbia to present petitions to City Council calling for a ban on smoking in public-access buildings, which he said he would support.

“In light of the surgeon general’s report on secondhand smoke, it is clearly time to address a smoke-free environment,” he said.

He acknowledged such a ban would be controversial and affect many small businesses, restaurants and bars. And he said he doesn’t know how council will react to the proposal.

But Coble said he would support a plan to clear publicly accessible buildings of tobacco smoke.

USC provides free programs to help people quit smoking through its Campus Wellness program and the State Health Plan.

Reach Hammond at (803) 771-8474.