The Northeast Community College tobacco ban that went into effect in the fall of 2014 has been pretty successful according to Northeast officials.  “The tobacco ban is going fairly well,” said Gretchen Hupp, R.N. and Northeast Student Health Nurse, “though there has been a few more violators this spring semester.” The tobacco policy completely bans tobacco on campus, including smoking in cars, which, no doubt, is why there have been violators.

Hupp said the campus is cleaner and there is less second-hand smoke because of the tobacco ban.  She also said the ban helps students with their tobacco problems. “Students have been more positive about the tobacco ban than negative,” Hupp informed me.

Smokers on campus, though, are less than thrilled about the new policy. Every smoker on campus I talked to said the ban is completely inconvenient. “We like to enjoy one or two throughout our day to relax us if we’re nervous or having a bad day,” explained Auto Tech student, Jordan. “Having to run off campus to do so creates a struggle to get back to class on time.” Another Auto Tech student, Josh, said that not being able to smoke in between classes could create problems in class such as trouble focusing and changing the students attitudes.

To discourage students from breaking policy, Northeast has set up repercussions for offenses. The first offense has a $25 fine, the second offense has a $50 fine and 5 hours of community service, and the third offense has a $75 fine and 10 hours of community service. The third offense fine and hours are repeated for further infractions.

“Enforcement of the tobacco ban has been difficult,” said Hupp. She advises students to inform her about violators on campus so that Northeast can learn about the ‘hot spots’ and send reinforcements. Students can find her in room 216 of the Student Center or contact her at [email protected].