User:ZiyaF616/sandbox

On January 4^th, 2016, the Tampa Campus of USF became a tobacco and smoke-free campus across the board. The adoption of this rule pertained to anyone who visited USF’s Tampa campus including all faculty, students, alumni, honorary members, and guests of the campus. The regulation of this new commitment was rather community-enforced, meaning that officials have no say in it or regulating such. It was up to students, faculty, and all other community members to discourage or dismiss others from smoking on the Tampa campus. By becoming a tobacco and smoke-free campus, USF wanted to provide “… a more attractive and enjoyable campus experience” for all. This was a starting solution to addressing the high-order concerns about second-hand smoking presented by members of the community.

History

Prior to 2012, areas around the library, Marshall Student Center, and social sciences building as well as parking garages, and much more where the typical "hang out" spots were students would come together and smoke. In addition, at the time, there were no regulations or policies preventing students and all other community members from smoking on the USF campus. Early 2012 is when the implementation of the "Designated Smoking Areas" came about and soon after in 2016 the adoption of the Tampa Campus becoming a tobacco and smoke-free campus.

Later, with the 2016 adaption, many students stood up and protested on what they felt like was a complete loss of their rights. On February 24^th, 2016, after the tobacco and smoke-free regulation was set in place at the Tampa campus, over 40 students gathered at the front of the USF library to protest. Amongst the 40 plus students who were protesting, many of them were smoking in various forms and passing out flyers; with three of the students holding signs that read “smoke our investments”. A protest such as this was an example of the forms of rebellion community members and students created to show their opposition to the tobacco and smoke-free regulation the Tampa campus adopted.

Designated Smoking Areas

In the spring of 2012, USF created 25 designated smoking areas throughout the Tampa Campus. At the time, USF said these designated smoking areas were implemented to provide "a healthy working, learning and living environment for the campus community and reduce the risk of secondhand smoke exposure to students". However, if an individual was caught outside of the designated areas doing such, they were subject to being in violation of university policies and appropriate measures would be made.

Tobacco Free Campus

On January 4^th, 2016 the Tampa campus of USF became tobacco and smoke-free. However, the St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee Campus of USF had already been established tobacco and smoke-free campuses. In addition, USF Health elsewhere and on Tampa’s campus had already previously adopted the tobacco and smoke-free policy for their facility. Due to the many concerns portrayed by members of the USF community, the institution and officials chose to address them with the implementation of this policy. Currently, the tobacco and smoke-free policy is community regulated meaning that there is no official regulation. It is solely based on the community members to dismiss others from smoking or using tobacco. This policy also includes the use of e-cigarettes, any form of smoking, and the use of tobacco in any form.

Debates

All aspects surrounding the topic of smoking and tobacco use especially within campuses, businesses, hospitals, and many other facilities brings out a largely despised debate. At USF’s Tampa campus, this debate is between the students and community members who choose to smoke on this campus and those who disagree and oppose to such actions. Simply put, the students who are in favor of the smoke and tobacco-free campus initiative and the students who are against it.

The community members who are in favor of such say that smoke and tobacco use on campus interferes with their daily life on campus and presents negative effects from second-hand smoking on their health. Health effects from secondhand smoke that USF Health and these concerned community members refer to include: stroke, nasal irritation, lung cancer, coronary heart disease, reproductive disruptions, lower respiratory illness, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and much more.Whereas, the community members who are against such say that regulation on legal actions they perform is unfair and strips them of their rights to do something legal freely at their please. However, a common ground within the debate that both sides present as to why their argument matters is the fact that both sides have every right to do as they please on USF’s Tampa campus since they all pay tuition and follow USF policies and regulations without complaint.

Resources and Outreach

However, understanding the concerns and rights of all, USF offered students with resources on how to quit smoking for the better of their health the promotion of a healthy lifestyle across the individuals of USF. The resources provided to those trying to quit were composed into a program called “Smoking Cessation”, and to this date, this program is still available. Within this program, the patient is paired with a Student Health Services (SHS) provider who will assess, advise and arrange the proper method or plan in helping the patient quit. Other resources were also available under the SHS such as a hotline, nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), continuing counseling, medical attention/help, and any other resources that USF, the State of Florida, or even resources provided on a national level to the public.

Future Outlook

Since students still choose to smoke on campus regardless of the regulations implemented, more actions had been needed. To resolve this ongoing issue, the idea of once again implementing designated smoking areas has been proposed. Except for this time, the designated smoking areas would be in off locations, further away from the campus’s public and would be official-enforced in addition to community-enforced. Doing such enables a decrease in the second-hand smoking exposure to the public. As well as a strong enforcement on following rules that smoking is only allowed in the defined locations. In addition, those who choose to smoke on campus can and those who choose not to smoke can have minimal contact or interference with such.