For Boise State, a proposed smoke-free policy will be good for health—and academic success.

Boise State University's President's Cabinet is currently reviewing a policy draft that, if approved, would limit smoking on campus to designated smoking zones in 2007. By 2008, the policy would make the entire campus smoke-free.

Currently, all indoor facilities on the campus are smoke-free, including dorms and classrooms. But the faculty, staff, and students of Boise State have a variety of reasons for wanting a more restrictive policy.

"Obviously, there are health risks associated with smoking and secondhand smoke, and more and more facilities and businesses are implementing smoke-free policies," says Ferdinand J. Schlapper, Executive Director of Health, Wellness and Counseling Services at the university. "We've extensively surveyed faculty, staff, and students, and the vast majority support a policy that would severely limit or completely eliminate smoking on campus. What's more, recent research has correlated smoking with lower GPAs and with a five-fold increase in suicidal thoughts and attempts, and studies show that smoking may be even more detrimental to academic performance than binge drinking."

The reasons to go smoke-free are adding up. But if the policy passes, Boise State will be one of the first major, public four-year institutions to have such a policy.

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) recommends establishing restrictive smoking policies on-campus because such policies have been shown to reduce smoking initiation rates, increase smoking cessation rates, and reduce exposure to environmental tobacco smoke. Enforcing restrictive outdoor smoking policies on-campus will protect the health of users and non-users and contribute to a cleaner campus environment "This isn't just some wild idea we have," says Schlapper. "We have a lot of solid reasons, research data, and constituent support to make this change, and smoke-free environments are being established everywhere. We think by implementing the policy in phases and by finding creative ways to communicate the benefits of going smoke-free to both smokers and non-smokers, our policy will eventually become a well-accepted, positive cultural change on our campus."

For more information about Boise State University's smoke-free campus policy and how to make your college or university campus smoke-free, contact Ferdinand Schlapper at FSCHLAPP@boisestate.edu.

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