Citing considerations for the health of students, faculty, staff and campus visitors, Lawrence University President Richard Warch announced Friday that the college would broaden its current non-smoking policy to include all Lawrence-owned facilities beginning July 1, 2004.
The new policy will extend a smoke-free designation to all student residences, college-owned guest houses, the Viking Room in the student union, Lawrence’s study center in London and college-leased vehicles.
Beginning in 1994 with Kohler Hall, a student residence, Lawrence has progressively increased the number of buildings designated as smoke free. Since 2000, smoking has been prohibited in all Lawrence academic buildings and administrative offices, as well as any new or renovated campus buildings.
“As we all know, smoking and second-hand smoke create significant health risks,” said Nancy Truesdell, dean of students at Lawrence. “As a residential institution, of higher education, we want to insure that we are providing a healthy environment for students, employees and those who visit Lawrence.”
When the new all-buildings policy goes into effect, Lawrence will join Cornell, Macalester and St. Olaf colleges as the only institutions among the 14 members of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest to have a ban on smoking in all campus buildings.
