USCB to go tobacco-free in January

Exactly one year after the University of South Carolina went tobacco-free, its Beaufort branch will follow suit.

Beginning Jan. 1, USCB no longer will allow the use of any tobacco products -- including chewing tobacco and electronic cigarettes -- on either its Historic Beaufort or Hilton Head Gateway campuses.

The university's current policy bans the use of tobacco products only in campus buildings and within 25 feet of building entrances, as well as at several designated outdoor seating areas.

"There are enough students that are using tobacco products that there are cigarette butts noticeably around campus," university spokeswoman Candace Brasseur said. "Many students have expressed concerns about this, and people want to go to school and get an education in a healthy and clean environment."

USCB joins at least 10 other schools in South Carolina -- the nation's fifth-largest tobacco-growing state -- that already ban smoking or tobacco products. USC Sumter and USC Upstate also have gone tobacco-free. USC Aiken plans to do so in July 2015.

As of Oct. 1, 975 colleges and university around the country are tobacco-free, according to vice chancellor for student development Doug Oblander. USCB is following the national trend, he said, to protect students' health and well-being.

To help students and faculty kick the habit, USCB is beginning to offer programs and products around campus designed to curb tobacco cravings. The school has allocated $1,000 to help fund those initiatives, Brasseur said.

For example, the university will begin a clinic this month with the American Lung Association called "Freedom from Smoking" to create a plan to help smokers quit, according to Lindsey Logue, chairwoman of a USCB tobacco-free task force.

USCB also now sells nicotine-replacement therapies, such as patches and gum, in its bookstore, she said.

"We aren't asking people to quit smoking or using these products," Logue said. "But we are asking them to refrain from doing so on our campuses, and we want to give them the tools to help manage those cravings or quit if they desire."

Since the school year began, USCB has been informing students through emails, newsletters and other communications of the change.

Logue said students who violate the new policy won't be penalized at first. Instead, they will be informed of the change and the resources available. She hopes most students comply so fines or other discipline won't be necessary.

Brasseur said the school hasn't heard much opposition to the change from students or faculty. The administration hopes it will be as successful on USCB's campuses as it has in Columbia, she said, where students have been compliant.

"Obviously there will be some people who don't like this change," Brasseur said. "But in this day and age, I don't think it is something that is unexpected, and I do think it is something they understand is looking out for their best interest."

BY THE NUMBERSThe University of South Carolina Beaufort will become a fully tobacco-free campus Jan. 1. As part of the process, the university surveyed about 450 students and 100 faculty members. Among the results:

62 percent of students surveyed support a tobacco-free campus.87 percent of faculty surveyed support a tobacco-free campus.95 percent of students and faculty surveyed believe secondhand smoke harms their health.Source: University of South Carolina Beaufort

This story was originally published October 13, 2014 at 8:39 PM with the headline "USCB to go tobacco-free in January."