Reasons for a Tobacco Free Campus
Minnesota State Board of Trustee Resolution
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Part 1: Philosophy: Rochester Community and Technical College (RCTC) is committed to creating a clean, safe, and healthy learning and working environment; and recognizes its responsibility to promote the health, welfare and safety for students, staff, and others on college property. RCTC also recognizes that the use of tobacco in any form poses serious and long-term health risks to individuals, therefore adopts the following Tobacco Use and Sale Policy.
Part 2: Policy: All tobacco use, including but not limited to; smoking, vaping, chewing, smokeless and sale of tobacco are prohibited on college owned, operated, or leased property, including all college owned vehicles.
- Organizers and attendees at public events, such as conferences, meetings, public lectures, social events, cultural events, and athletic events using the Rochester Regional Sports’ facilities will be required to abide by the Tobacco Use and Sale Policy. Organizers of such events are responsible for communicating this policy to attendees and for enforcing this policy.
- Campus organizations are prohibited from accepting money or gifts from tobacco companies.
- To the extent possible, RCTC will provide access to cessation programs to assist students and employees who presently use tobacco products.
Part 3: Definitions:
Tobacco: For the purposes of this policy, tobacco is defined to include any lit or unlit cigarette, pipe, cigar, cigarillo, or other smoking equipment (whether filled with tobacco or any other type of materials such as e-cigarettes), smokeless tobacco (use of snuff, dip, chew, smokeless pouches, or other forms of loose-leaf tobacco), and any other tobacco product in any form.
Facility/Grounds: Any building or structure, athletic playing field, playground, parking lot or any other outdoor property owned, leased, or contracted by RCTC; vehicle owned, leased, or contracted by RCTC.
Part 4: Enforcement: Enforcement will begin with Campus Security monitoring the campus for violators and notifying offenders of the tobacco policy. Compliance and enforcement of this policy will depend on the cooperation of all students, staff, faculty, and visitors to promote a clean, safe, healthy environment in which to work, study, and live. When employees or volunteers observe violations of the policy, they are encouraged to politely remind the offender of the policy and request that they dispose of the tobacco materials. Each institution of UCR will enforce the policy to its fullest extent, which may include, but is not limited to, disciplinary actions and/or sanctions.
In the case of violation, the person will be informed of the Tobacco Use and Sale policy. Should that person continue to violate the policy, the aggrieved party should contact Campus Security who will notify the appropriate department: for employees, the person’s immediate supervisor; for students, each institution’s student conduct officer; and for those not associated with the College, Campus Security. Supervisors of staff and faculty will follow the relevant collective bargaining agreement or personnel plan for discipline of violations.
Part 5. Exceptions:
- Tobacco use in private vehicles in college parking lots is permitted.
- Tobacco use or products for instructional purposes in laboratory and classroom instruction/experiments, or artistic purposes is permitted, but all research, educational, and/or artistic purposes that involve the use of tobacco on campus, must be approved by the President or his/her designee, and such use must be preceded by reasonable advance notice to the public.
- This policy does not apply to specific activities used in connection with the practice of cultural activities including those of American Indians that are in accordance with the American Indian Religious Freedom Act, 42 U.S.C. sections 1996 and 1996a. All ceremonial use exceptions must be approved in advance by the President of the College or his/her designee.
Date of Implementation: January 1, 2010
Date of Adoption: September 30, 2009
Date of Revisions: 5/8/12; 10/18/2021