PR2016 Aug 18

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 18, 2016

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Media and Communication, 205.391.2959

mediacom@sheltonstate.edu

SHELTON STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE RECEIVES GRANT TO ADDRESS TOBACCO USE ON CAMPUS

Tuscaloosa, Alabama – Shelton State Community College (SSCC) recently announced its plan to join a national movement to address smoking and tobacco use at community college campuses throughout the United States. SSCC will ask students, faculty, and school administration to support adoption of a 100 percent smoke-free or tobacco-free policy.

“We are truly excited to make Shelton State a safe, healthy, and productive environment,” said Jonathan Koh, Shelton State’s Director of Grants. “The health benefits of reducing secondhand smoke exposure are invaluable and could also help students prepare for the workforce where smoke-free policies are already the norm.”

Over the next year, SSCC will engage the campus community to address tobacco use. A taskforce will be formed to oversee the project, assess tobacco use behaviors and attitudes, conduct prevention and educational activities, and identify a treatment plan for current smokers. If the task force votes to propose a smoke- or tobacco-free policy, it must first be approved by the standard institutional policy format in use by the College.

SSCC’s efforts are part of a growing trend to clean the air on campuses. Currently, nearly 1,500 higher education institutions in the United States have gone smoke- or tobacco-free, including 339 community colleges.

SSCC was one of fifteen community colleges around the country to receive funds and technical support from Truth Initiative, the nation’s largest non-profit public health organization dedicated to making tobacco use a thing of the past. The project will be led by Shelton State’s chapter of Phi Theta Kappa and the Shelton State Association for Respiratory Care. Through three rounds of grants, Truth Initiative has partnered with 69 community colleges and hopes to reach nearly 800,000 community college students and 59,000 faculty/staff across 27 states.

“With 99 percent of smokers starting before age 27, college campuses are critical platforms for preventing young adults from starting tobacco use, aiding those current tobacco users in quitting and reducing exposure to secondhand smoke for all,” said Robin Koval, CEO and President of Truth Initiative. “We are looking forward to supporting Shelton State’s efforts to make smoking and tobacco use a thing of the past,” she added.

Today, 40 million Americans still smoke and tobacco use remains the number-one cause of preventable death in this country. Research also shows that there are dire health consequences for non-smokers too. Secondhand smoke exposure causes cancer and cardiovascular disease among other secondhand smoke diseases, responsible for more than 41,000 deaths among non-smoking adults in the U.S.

Community colleges in the U.S. serve almost half - 45 percent - of the undergraduate student population. With an enrollment of more than 12 million, community colleges serve as an entryway to higher education for many students of color, low-income, and first generation college degree earners.

“The grant from Truth Initiative has set us up for success and I’m positive we can achieve our goals,” said Koh. “We are going to hit the ground running with our plan so that we can finally take a breath of fresh air on campus,” he said.

For more information, contact Jonathan Koh at jkoh@sheltonstate.edu.

Background:

A 100% tobacco-free policy prohibits the use of any tobacco product, such as cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos, small cigars, pipes, hookah, smokeless tobacco (otherwise known as dip, chew, snuff, spit, and snus), and other smokeless products. It can also include electronic cigarettes. A comprehensive tobacco-free policy could also address tobacco sales, marketing, sponsorship and investments at colleges. A 100% smoke-free policy is one that prohibits the use of smoke-producing tobacco, such as cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos, small cigars, pipes, hookah as well as e-cigarettes. Both policies apply to anyone on campus and on any campus property. For more information on model campus policies, visit Americans for Non-Smokers’ Rights.

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