Kaskaskia College recognizes the need to provide a healthy environment for the well-being and safety of students, faculty, staff, and visitors and to provide a more productive, learning and working environment for all members of the College community. The College also strives to create more environmentally friendly facilities and properties. In order to further these goals, Kaskaskia College shall be entirely smoke free, effective January 1, 2015. This policy is consistent with the Smoke Free Illinois Act, which prohibits smoking in any public buildings, and with continued legislative efforts to entirely prohibit smoking on all Illinois public college campuses.
In accordance with this policy, all smoking and the use of smokeless tobacco is prohibited in all Kaskaskia College facilities and locations, whether owned or leased by the College, and all College vehicles, whether owned or leased by the College. Smoking and the use of smokeless tobacco is also prohibited outdoors on all College property, whether owned or leased by the College, including all parking lots and athletic fields. This policy applies to all students, faculty, staff, vendors, contractors, and other visitors on campus, regardless of the purpose for their visit. For purposes of this policy, the following definitions apply:
- Smoking means inhaling, exhaling, burning, or carrying any lighted or heated cigar, cigarette, or pipe, including a hookah pipe, or any other lighted or heated tobacco or plant product intended for inhalation, in any manner or in any form.Smoking also includes the use of an E-cigarette, which creates a vapor, in any manner or in any form, or the use of any oral smoking device for the purposes of circumventing the prohibition of smoking in this policy.
- E-cigarette means any electronic oral device, such as one composed of a heating element, battery, and/or electronic circuit, which provides a vapor of nicotine or any other substances, and the use or inhalation of which simulates smoking. The term shall include any such device, whether manufactured, distributed, marketed, sold as an e-cigarette, e-cigar, e-pipe, or under any other product name or descriptor.
- Smokeless tobacco means the use of snuff, chewing tobacco, smokeless pouches, or other forms of loose-leaf tobacco, which is ingested by sniffing, sucking, chewing or any other means.
The College reserves the right to expand the above definitions, at its discretion, and on a case by case basis, if a smoking device or substance or smokeless tobacco substance is being used which is covered in the intent of this policy, but is not covered in the definitions above.
Appropriate signage, which conveys that Kaskaskia College is a smoke free campus shall be placed on building entrances of all campus properties and other appropriate locations. This policy applies to all areas and locations of the College whether or not such notices are posted in a particular place.
Organizers of and attendees at conferences, meetings and other events, as well as non-College events held on College property must abide by this policy. Such information shall be provided to external event organizers at the time the College facilities are booked.
All faculty, staff, and students share in the responsibility for adhering to and helping to enforce this policy. An individual may inform someone smoking on campus property of this policy and request that the smoker comply with the policy or violations may be reported to the Safety and Security department, which is responsible for handling such violations. If the violation occurs at an Education Center, such violation should be reported to the Education Center Director or other designated staff. Employees and students who refuse to comply with the policy will be subject to disciplinary action, as determined by the College. Other individuals on campus who refuse to comply with the policy may be asked to leave campus
Although this policy prohibits smoking and the use of smokeless tobacco on College property and in College facilities, it is also expected that employees and students, as well as visitors to the College, shall adhere to the same prohibition for neighboring properties, in accordance with the guidelines set by the owners of such neighboring properties.
If any individual has questions or needs assistance with any portion of this policy, such issues should be addressed to the Human Resources Department.
Approval History: Replace3s Smoke Free Campus Policy 6.7, Approved March 17, 2005 and July 28, 2014