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UK is going tobacco free on November 19, 2009.
In a campuswide e-mail sent Monday morning, President Lee Todd announced that UK is implementing a campuswide tobacco free policy.
The UK Tobacco-Free Campus Initiative will ban using tobacco products on all parts of UK’s campus in Lexington. This will make UK one of more than 255 college campuses around the country with this type of ban, according to a UK news release.
In a statement, Todd cited the success of the tobacco ban on the UK Medical Center as motivation to move toward a campuswide ban.
“Enacting the tobacco-free policy at the University of Kentucky in November will greatly improve the campus atmosphere for all members of our community,†Todd said. “This policy has already created a healthier environment for patients, workers and visitors at the UK Medical Center, and we look forward to the long-term benefits of its implementation throughout all areas of the UK campus.â€
The committee is comprised of students, faculty and staff across multiple departments at UK. Members of the committee will be assigned to subcommittees that will deal with certain aspects of the initiative, said Ellen Hahn, co-chair of the committee and a professor in the UK College of Nursing.
Additionally, any faculty member, student or staff member who wants to serve on a subcommittee to give their input are welcome, Hahn said.
“I think the reason we are taking the time we are taking is to get input from faculty, students and staff,†Hahn said. “We want people to get involved and be on a committee. We want that in order for this to be effective.â€
Hahn said input from members outside the named members of the committee is essential and they can contact Jane Smith.
Accounting freshman Wesley Penn believes  putting a ban on tobacco at UK is a violation of his rights.
“It impedes on our freedoms excessively,†Penn said. “Many people find the smoking ban in Lexington absurd. I don’t think it should be enforced on the campus.â€
Penn proposed designating certain areas for smokers.
Designated smoking areas have been tried on this campus and other campuses but are hard to enforce, Hahn said.
“We’ve had designated smoking areas around campus and it’s very hard to enforce that kind of thing,†Hahn said. “What we’ve learned from other campuses is when you totally restrict smoking it is: A, easier to enforce and it sends a message that we care about students’ health. And B, we are a role model to other states.â€
Informing people about the seriousness of smoking is an issue Hahn said she wants to address within this ban.
“Many of our students are from Kentucky and we haven’t had a lot of funds go into public education about tobacco,†Hahn said. “The time we are taking will help educate everybody about how devastating this problem is. It may seem to some that we are taking away rights, but it’s about making a better commonwealth.†

The job of implementing this plan will come from the subcommittees, Hahn said. They will present their findings and suggestions to Todd sometime before November 19.
No timeline on when the subcommittees will meet and when they will present to Todd has been confirmed yet, but that is the next step for the committee, Hahn said.
Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas, America anymore!
Just like the ban on smoking within a few feet of UK buildings was ignored, you can expect this measure to similarly fail. Let us also not forget how UK conveniently pushed the hospital smokers out to the sidewalks so that off-campus renters and Agriculture students could breathe in all that smoke (in addition to Limestone’s traffic smog). I’m not sure where Dr. Todd is coming from when he describes the hospital’s ban as successful.
But, as pessimistic as I am about this, I hope the ban eventually succeeds. In the mean times. militant smokers are going to resist this and claim that their rights are being trampled. UK is right to challenge the notion that it is within one’s rights to poison others’ air.
This is not an important issue. I have to walk from one end of campus to the other every day and the only places I ever have to walk through someone’s cigarette smoke are right outside the classroom building and on University by the medical campus. Its not a big deal.
That doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be done, but if its going to cost UK ANY money then it needs to be shelved for the time being. We get emails just about every week about how times are tough and the University is going to have to tighten it’s belt … so why would we ever want to spend a penny on something as inconsequential as a smoking ban when we don’t have enough to spend on maintaining the policies we already have in place.
Basically; if UK can do it for free, then they should do it, if not, don’t.
This is great and important news! Bring on the campus wide smoking ban – the sooner the better. It’s worked brilliantly for the Med Center and has actually caused several people employed there to quit smoking.