Key points from the 2010 Tobacco Use and Attitude Survey at Montana Western
- Campus is the number one location where UMW students are exposed to secondhand smoke; 69 percent of students reported being exposed to secondhand smoke on campus.
- 84 percent of UMW students agreed that secondhand smoke is harmful to other people.
- 25.5 percent of UMW students reported minor health problems such as headaches and eye irritation due to secondhand smoke exposure.
- 17.4 percent of UMW students reported that exposure to secondhand smoke causes them to have trouble breathing and causes long-term health impacts.
- 71 percent of UMW student smokers tried to quit over the past year, and 46 percent of those students reported that seeing others smoking on campus had a slight or large negative impact on their attempt to quit.
- 79.9 percent of UMW students surveyed supported restricting smoking on campus.
The University of Montana Western became a tobacco-free campus on Aug. 1, 2011.
According to the American Lung Association, over 259 college campuses in the United States are now or will soon be tobacco free. Tobacco-free policies are in force at Montana Tech and the Helena College of Technology. The University of Montana campus will become tobacco free upon the first day of the fall 2011 semester.
The Montana Western draft policy, Draft Policy 100.1 – Tobacco Free Campus, will replace Montana Western’s current tobacco policy, Policy 100.1 – Tobacco Use.
The Tobacco Free Task Force
The proposed policy had its beginnings in fall 2008 when a UMW Tobacco Free Task Force (TFTF) was formed to explore current research on the health effects of tobacco use for educational purposes, as well as to begin creating a campus cessation program to help current tobacco users quit.
The TFTF included Montana Western staff, administrators, faculty and students, and was open to the public. Task force efforts were part of the Montana Collegiate Tobacco Prevention Initiative.
The group began collecting data on campus tobacco use and attitudes in spring 2009. In concert with the Initiative, the TFTF conducted two Tobacco Use and Attitude Surveys. In fall 2009, the group unanimously decided to begin the process of moving Montana Western toward becoming a tobacco-free campus.
In the meantime task force members continued to conduct campus-wide surveys on student, staff and faculty attitudes towards tobacco on campus. With the help of a Montana Western health and human performance class, the TFTF conducted a survey with over 400 members of the campus community; nearly 80 percent favored a tobacco-free campus.
In an effort to reach out to the 20 percent of respondents who expressed concerns in the survey, TFTF members created anonymous comment boxes on the subject, placed them around campus, compiled the data from the boxes and organized a “Big Six” fact sheet to address campus concerns.
The group also held a campus-wide forum in February 2010 and continued to facilitate campus dialogues on tobacco use with various groups on campus including the Associated Students of the University of Montana Western (ASUMW), Montana Western Senior Staff, and the Montana Western Faculty Association.
In May 2010, ASUMW member Brett Christian delivered a policy proposal on behalf of the TFTF to Montana Western Chancellor Richard Storey recommending the campus become tobacco free.
The UMW Ad-Hoc Committee on Tobacco
In summer 2010, Chancellor Storey formed an Ad-Hoc Committee on Tobacco including both smokers and non-smokers. The committee represented the TFTF, the UMW faculty association, UMW staff and ASUMW. The committee met from September to November 2010.
In November 2010, the committee unanimously recommended that Montana Western become tobacco free.
On Jan. 18, the University Council unanimously supported implementation of the plan. Chancellor Storey signed the new policy on Feb. 4, 2011.
Policy enforcement
Please contact the following administrators to report on-campus violations of the Montana Western tobacco policy:
- For student violations, contact Dean of Students Nicole Hazelbaker at (406) 683-7900.
- For faculty violations, contact Provost Karl Ulrich at (406)683-7115.
- For staff violations, contact Vice Chancellor of Administration and Finance Susan Briggs at (406) 683-7031.
You can quit. We can help.
We know quitting tobacco is difficult, but we have a range of resources — including free quit kids — to help users kick the habit. Stop by Davis Hall or contact Montana Western Campus Counselor Lynn Weltzien at (406) 683-7565 or l_weltzien1@umwestern.edu to set up a confidential appointment.
Additional Information
- Montana Collegiate Tobacco Prevention Initiative: http://tobaccofree.mt.gov/MontanaCollegiateTobaccoPreventionInitiative.shtml
- Bacchus Network: http://www.bacchusgamma.org/
- American Lung Association report: colleges universities tobacco free.pdf
- Surgeon General reports: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/reports/index.html
- Big 6: The Big Six.pdf
- Montana University System Cessation Program: http://www.mus.edu/choices/tobacco.asp
- The University of Montana: http://life.umt.edu/curry/TobaccoFreeUM/default.php
- Montana Tech: http://www.mtech.edu/student_life/tobaccofree/
- Montana State University-Billings: http://www.msubillings.edu/hservices/Petition.asp
- Helena College of Technology: 600.1 – Tobacco Free Campus Policy -1.pdf
- UMW students attend Florida conference: http://news.umwestern.edu/2009/10/two-umw-students-to-attend-florida-conference/
- UMW students earn national tobacco prevention awards: http://news.umwestern.edu/2010/12/umw-students-earn-national-tobacco-prevention-awards/
Looks good…Let’s do it!
As a UMW student I have been able to see how things in regards to the use of tobacco have changed on this campus. My freshman year I noticed right away the number of people smoking right outside the building doors in addition to the amount of students who chew tobacco. I have seen a dramatic decrease with the number of people smoking close to building doors. More and more people have abided the 25-foot policy, and I greatly believe that this is due to the Tobacco Free Task Force efforts during the last three years. Since then the Tobacco Free Task Force has made an effort to inform our campus of the tobacco policies already in effect I feel more people have listened and respected this. It has made a huge difference.
However, from a student’s perspective I still notice the other students who chew in class. I find it hard to maintain focus when a fellow student is sitting next to me spitting chew into their clear plastic water bottle, but then there are also people being pro-active. Just the other day I saw a professor respectfully smoking off campus by his car. Whether he was doing this to be respectful or not it shows there are already people anticipating going tobacco free. As a whole I am extremely hoping this policy goes through not just for me but for everyone. This is a nation-wide movement for many different reasons, but in the long run I believe it will make our campus cleaner, and help with our small campus feel and overall learning experience.
As a fellow student I have also seen how things in regards to the use of tobacco have changed. It is indeed polite to smoke away from non-smokers and legislation has forced respect. However, we don’t make laws in regard to holding doors for old ladies or wearing hats in theatres.
Furthermore student, it seems as you are hinting at legislation against chewing tobacco. Shall we criminalize gum-clicking or leg-twitching? These things are all annoying. Should we make something illegal because it bothers people? I can tell you what, I’d sure like to write a ticket to all of the trains that make me stop and idle and waste my gas, hurt my ears, and run over my dog: After all, there only bringing coal to the plant where they will burn it and it will sting my eyes and make me cough, just for someone else’s power. You know what maybe we should cite smokers maybe they should find a new so that when I walk by I don’t have to be annoyed.
I don’t know if any smokers blow smoke up your nose, but when I walk by they turn their heads. I can still smell it but we ARE outside and if smoke smell outside gives us all cancer, I will eat my hat!
On a serious note: Most of us don’t smoke, but I think that we are blowing this way out of proportion.
As a smoker myself, I agree with the non-smoking campus. I smoke natural, additive-free cigs & when I smell a Camel or Marlboro burning it makes me gag….so, I can sympathize with non-smokers greatly. That said, I do hope the tobacco policy is enforced for chew, too, because watching someone spit chew into a cup is nauseating.
As a student of UMW I must say that it bothers me greatly that there is more and more cigarette butts on the streets around campus. Isn’t it possible to place some ashtrays or something? or smokers places on the campus but remote from people who do not want to be around smokers – the places they occupy are usually the alleys, which lead off campus. That sucks…