HELPFUL HINTS TO CREATE A SMOKE-FREE/TOBACCO-FREE CAMPUS POLICY

This guide outlines steps and components for the creation and implementation of a smoke-free or tobacco-free campus policy. The information in this guide is based on the experiences of campuses that have implemented smoke-free or tobacco-free campus policies.

Policy, Policy, Policy…where to begin?! Getting from Point A to Point B Changing an existing policy or creating a new policy is a process. In an ideal world you would go from step 1 to step 2 to step 3. In the real world you bounce around from step to step and sometimes work on multiple steps at the same time! For example, the first thing that comes to mind when people mention a smoke-free or tobacco-free policy is enforcement. “How do you enforce a smoke-free or tobacco-free campus policy?”. The answer to that question does not have to wait until you have a policy in place, rather it should be part of the discussion from the beginning. Creating a policy vs. Revisiting an existing policy? Many times it is easier to think about examining an existing policy rather than creating a new policy. The recommendations laid out here are meant to be a guide for institutions in either instance. It is important that each institution reads this document looking for the themes or ideas that will be helpful and useful for that institution.

STEP 1: WHO IS YOUR CHAMPION? WHAT IS THE ISSUE? & BUILD COMMUNITY SUPPORT Who is the main champion(s) for this policy on your campus?  This person, or group, is the main force behind the push for the policy change. He or she gets the work started on the issue and keeps people motivated to work on is. Examples of a policy champion include: o Student o Student group (SHAC) o Administrator or Administration o Other individual on campus  Vocal advocate on campus drawing attention to the issue even in the face of opposition. o Talking with student groups o Talking with administration  Note, this person, or group, should not be a part of the formal Policy Workgroup due to their bias. What is the main issue/concern on your campus regarding smoking?  Smoke coming in windows of campus buildings?  People smoking near or too close to building entrances?  Cigarette and other tobacco litter on campus?  Exposure to secondhand smoke while walking across campus?  Exposure to secondhand smoke while in a public lounging space (i.e. campus mall, lawn area, bus stops)

Any or all of these are legitimate concerns with which to start the conversation about a campus smoking policy. These concerns can come from students, staff, faculty, visitors, parents of students, or governing body. Document any reports or complaints received. For example:  Ask people to submit complaints via email if possible.  Keep a file with reported complaints.  Date all complaints and obtain as much information as possible about the complaint (i.e., location on campus, time of day)

Enlisting the help of local partners You may want to consider meeting with local partners. They can play a variety of roles throughout the process of creating a smoke-free/tobacco-free campus and implementation of the policy. For examples, they can be a champion or local advocate voicing support in local papers via OpEds, assist with community organizing on campus to generate more campus community support, or they may be able to provide options or support for cessation services. Examples of local agencies: - Community Health Agencies - County/City Public Health Departments - Local American Lung Association, or American Cancer Society - Area Hospitals and Clinics - Association for Non-Smokers Rights (ANSR) These local partners can be a great help when trying to navigate policy change. They can provide valuable insights into policy change and sometimes can do things you may not be able to do.

STEP 2: PRESENTATION OF CONCERNS TO ADMINISTRATION Present concern(s) to school’s president or designated administrative group. This can be done via:  Formal letter  Email  Conversation  Formal presentation Request the president to form a policy workgroup to look into the issue and determine the next best steps/direction for the campus. STEP 3: FORMATION OF A POLICY WORKGROUP The appointed policy workgroup should have broad representation of the campuses constituents:  Students  Staff (Union and non-Union, if applicable)  Faculty  Student Affairs  Facilities Management  Administration The broad representation of campus constituents on the policy workgroup helps project objectivity and therefore credibility with the campus for examining all sides of the issue. The workgroup should have clear guidance from the administration on the scope of work. For example:  Some workgroups are charged only with gathering information and presenting the findings  Some workgroups are charged with gathering information and making recommendations.

Remember: The task of the workgroup is not to make the final decision about the policy, but rather to gather information, present the findings and make recommendations to the administration regarding the policy.

STEP 4: GATHERING INFORMATION Utilize existing campus data to understand the issue of smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke on campus.  Useful data might include: o % of current and daily tobacco users among students o % of current and daily tobacco users among faculty & staff o % of students exposed to secondhand smoke on campus  Sources of data might include: o College Student Health Survey  http://www.bhs.umn.edu/healthdata/index.htm o CORE Tobacco Alcohol & Other Drug Use Survey  http://www.bhs.umn.edu/healthdata/index.htm  http://www.siu.edu/~coreinst/ o National College Health Association Survey  http://www.acha-ncha.org/ Assess the campus community’s attitudes and opinions about the issue.  The best way is via a random sample survey of all students, staff and faculty.  An alternative is to gather the information through convenience sample (i.e., classroom based surveys and departmental based surveys). Note: This information, because it is not a random sample, lacks the ability to be generalized to the campus population as a whole.  Utilize existing surveys o Minnesota State University Moorhead’s Survey o Winona State University’s Survey o University of MN – Twin Cities Survey  Zoomerang and Survey Monkey can offer inexpensive ways to conduct online o www.zoomerang.com o www.surveymonkey.com Assess the campus environment for a smoke-free policy. Note, this information is also helpful when thinking about implementation of a new policy. This would include: o Determine where people smoke on campus o Determine if people comply with current policy o Determine where signs would be needed to communicate a new policy o Determine cessation resources on campus and how they are communicated Gather information on what other area schools are doing on this issue.  Review policies and processes used by other campuses o Look at surveys used by the campus o Review language of policy o Look at how policy is communicated on the school’s website and other campus publications.

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Talk with representatives from other campuses. They can provide insights often not listed on formal school publications. o Ask how the process went on that campus (barriers and solutions) o Ask how implementation of the policy went and anything they would do differently. o Ask how the policy is enforced and if it is complied with.

Gather feedback on the current policy and the proposed policy or policy direction. This allows the campus community to have a voice in examining this issue. It also allows people on both sides of the issue to hear the all view points on the issue. This can be done via:  Open forums on campus  Consultation meetings with student groups and staff/faculty groups.  Consultation meetings with neighborhood groups and surrounding businesses if appropriate. STEP 5: PRESENTING INFORMATION Compile information and feedback and present to administration. Depending on the original charge given to the policy workgroup this may or may not include recommendations for the policy. Possibly publish policy workgroups efforts on a dedicated webpage. This may include:  Post meeting dates and minutes  Post survey tool, methodology and resulting data  Post information gathered from other schools that was helpful for the policy workgroup.  Post final report to the president/administration STEP 6: FINAL DECISION The President or designated administrative group should review the data and information gathered by the policy workgroup. If the final decision is to make no change to the current policy this is should clearly communicated to the campus community in a statement that outlines the process for reviewing the current policy and the rationale for the decision. If the final decision is to make a change to the current policy then:  This should be clearly communicated to the campus community in a statement that outlines the policy review process and the rational for the final decision.  A Policy Implementation Team should be formed to work through all operational issues related to the new policy. Similar to the Policy Workgroup, this should have broad representation on it. o Students

o o o o o o

Staff (if applicable both Union and Non-Union) Faculty Administration Facilities Management Campus Security Human Resources

IMPLEMENTATION Getting from Point A to Point B Remember…Changing an existing policy or creating a new policy is a process. In an ideal world you would go from step 1 to step 2 to step 3. In the real world you bounce around from step to step and sometimes work on multiple steps at the same time! Talking about implementation does not have to wait until after the policy is changed. In fact it is good to talk about it early on so people think about how a policy change impacts the institution. instance. It is important that each institution reads this document looking for the themes or ideas that will be helpful and useful for that institution. STEP 1: POLICY IMPLEMENTATION TEAM The Policy Implementation Team should be appointed by the president or administration to work through all operational issues related to the new policy. This would include:  Determine best date of implementation for new policy o Beginning of the school year? o Middle of the school year? 

Determine what signage is needed around campus to communicate new policy. This includes: o Copy for the signs  Does the new policy have a slogan? For example:  Breathe Free UMD  Fresh Air Everywhere - MSUM o Location of signs o Size of signs o # of signs o Cost of signage & what budget pays for the signs.

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Determine overall communication plan for the policy. This may include: o Student newsletters o Student welcome packets o Season Ticket holder information packets (if applicable) o Staff/Faculty newsletters o Emails to campus o Develop a website to communicate the new policy. This would include:  The work done to review the old policy.  The rationale for the new policy  Implementation information of the new policy  A means for the campus community to provide the Policy Implementation Team with feedback on the implementation of the new policy

STEP 1 CONTINUED: 

Information on how non-compliance with the policy will be handled on campus.

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Meet with Campus Community and Surrounding Community (if applicable) o The Policy Implementation Team should meet with campus groups to inform them about the new policy. For example:  Student Senate  Other Student Groups  Staff/Faculty unions and non-union groups.  Departments  Neighborhood groups, if applicable  Local business groups, if applicable o Provide a means for the groups to contact the Policy Implementation Team at any time. o Be prepared to think through creative ways to deal with potential barriers/concerns. For example:  Increased cigarette litter in neighbors yards  Students smoking in city streets or near/on neighbors yards

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Designate one person to receive feedback/complaints on the new policy

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The Implementation Workgroup should continue to meet periodically for at least one year after the implementation of the new policy. This will allow the workgroup to reassess implementation materials and determine if there are problem areas on campus that need additional information on the policy.

STEP 2: COMPLIANCE VS. ENFORCEMENT There are several ways to look at the new policy.  How to ensure people comply with the policy?  How to enforce the policy?  How can both be done? Compliance is a proactive approach and Enforcement is a reactive approach. Will either one achieve 100% compliance with the new policy? No, absolutely not. A smoke-free campus policy is about behavior change for individuals and social norms changes for a community. This does not happen over night…it takes time. The Compliance Approach  It is educating the campus community about the new policy from A to Z. As outlined above for the Policy Implementation Team.

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Assess feedback and complaints to determine if there are problem areas on campus or particular individual who continue to violate the policy. Follow-up option might include: o Determining if additional signage is needed o Meeting with the students or employees who utilize that space/area the most to review the policy o Meeting with the individual(s) to review the policy and possibly take disciplinary action.  For students this might be a student conduct issue  For employees this would be considered non-compliance with work policies and subject to established work disciplinary action.

The Enforcement Approach  This designates a specific entity on campus responsible for enforcing the new policy. Typically this would be campus police/security. o For student violations could be:  A fine  Handled as a student conduct issue subject to established conduct discipline guidelines o For employees violations would be handled as a work place discipline issue and follow established guidelines for non-compliance with work place policy.  Note: You may want to incorporate some of the feedback and assessment from the Compliance approach.

100%... People often ask, “how will we enforce such a policy?”. They are worried about making sure everyone complies with the policy 100% of the time. The reality, no policy has 100% compliance all the time. Creating a smoke-free or tobacco-free campus is shifting the behavioral norms of the campus and will take time.

STEP 3: CESSATION Cessation services can be used for two things:  Provide a means for smokers to quit smoking should they choose.  Provide a means for advertising and promoting the new policy. Assess what current cessation services are offered on campus and in the nearby community and what services students, staff and faculty would like to see. This can be done by: 

Include questions to the campus policy survey of students, staff and faculty about cessation. Questions might include: o What cessation services would students, staff and faculty use? o Are they aware of any cessation services on campus or in the broader community? o Do they know about QuitPlan?

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Include assessment of campus cessation services and cessation information on the campus policy environmental assessment. This would include: o Gathering information on the campus’ current cessation services o Assess the campus’ ability to enhance or provide cessation services o Barriers on campus to providing or accessing cessation services

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Conduct key informant interviews with campus administration, and key staff about provision of cessation services to students, staff and faculty. o Determine what barriers might be in place o Determine what has been offered in the past o Determine what can cessation services can be sustained by the campus in the future.

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Report findings of all assessments and key informant interviews to the president or administration.

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The Policy Implementation Team should utilize the findings to create an action plan for cessation services on campus. Examples might include: o Cessation Training:  Identify an individual who would be willing to be the campus’ Nicotine Dependence Counselor and send him/her to the Mayo Clinic Nicotine Dependence Center for training. o Cessation Counseling Services:  Work with newly trained Nicotine Dependence Counselor and administration to schedule dedicated time for individual and group counseling for students, staff and faculty on campus.

o Identify community resources for cessation counseling and access to free or reduced NRT:  Local public health agency  Local hospital  QuitPlan o Insurance Coverage of Cessation Services:  Work with appropriate governing bodies of each campus on the issue of including cessation services (i.e., counseling and NRT) in all health insurance plans offered to students, staff and faculty. Communicate cessation services available to the campus community. For example: o Develop a web site to communicate to the cessation services (i.e., Nicotine Dependence Counselor, QuitPlan, Quit & Win) to the campus community: o Develop other communication pieces about cessation services available to students, staff and faculty. This might include:  Brochures  Posters  Information in new student orientation handbooks  Information in employee handbooks  Emails to all students, staff and faculty.  Ads in campus publications.