• Read CFCC's Full Tobacco-Free Policy
• Why Did CFCC Go Smoke Free?
• Facts About Secondhand Smoke
• On-Campus Resources for Tobacco Users
• QuitlineNC - Free one-on-one support

Cape Fear Community College Tobacco-Free Policy

Cape Fear Community College:

• is committed to providing its employees and students with a safe and healthful environment
• recognizes the use of tobacco products on campus grounds is detrimental to the health and safety of students, staff, faculty and visitors
• recognizes that it has the legal authority to prohibit tobacco use pursuant to G.S. 143-599

Therefore, Cape Fear Community College has set the following 100% tobacco free campus policy, to be implemented on August 1, 2009.

1.    Use of tobacco is prohibited by students, staff, faculty or visitors: 

• in all campus buildings, facilities or property owned or leased by Cape Fear Community College and outside areas of the campus; 
• on campus grounds, facilities, or vehicles that are the property of the college;
• at lectures, conferences, meetings, athletic, social and cultural events held on college property.
• for the purposes of this policy, tobacco is defined as any type of tobacco product including, but not limited to, cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos, pipes, bidis, hookahs, smokeless or spit tobacco or snuff.

2.    The sale or free distribution of tobacco products, including merchandise, on campus or at school events is prohibited.

3.    Student organizations are prohibited from accepting money or gifts from tobacco companies, including;

a.      Events sponsored by tobacco companies and allowing them to distribute free, reduced-price, or fully priced tobacco products (T-shirts, hats, etc.) on campus.

b.      All tobacco advertising, such as billboards and signs in all campus buildings, facilities or property owned or leased and operated by Cape Fear Community College

4.    Tobacco advertisements are prohibited in college-run publications and on grounds or facilities, including athletic facilities, owned or operated by Cape Fear Community College. 

5.      Cape Fear Community College will provide access to tobacco cessation programs on campus. 

These tobacco treatment programs shall be publicized regularly in student, faculty and staff publications and academic buildings, through Student Development and through other appropriate means.

6. Implementation & Compliance 

A campus committee shall develop a plan for communicating the policy with students, staff, faculty and visitors.  The College ensures that appropriate signage and other physical indicators of our policy are provided. All tobacco waste management products such as ashtrays shall be removed. Violators of the policy shall be issued a verbal reminder of the policy. Visitors who repeatedly violate the policy shall be asked to leave campus. Staff and faculty who repeatedly violate the policy shall be referred to their supervisor. Repeated violations by staff or faculty can result in further personnel action such as reprimand.  In accordance with the Code of Conduct students who violate the policy shall be referred to the Vice President of Student Development.

Why Did CFCC Go Smoke Free?

Cape Fear Community College implemented the tobacco-free policy to help promote a healthier environment for students, employees and visitors.

The scientific evidence on the health risks associated with exposure to secondhand smoke is clear, convincing, and overwhelming.  Secondhand smoke is a known cause of lung cancer, heart disease, chronic lung ailments such as asthma and bronchitis, and low birth-weight births. 

On June 27, 2006, the US Surgeon General released its first report on secondhand smoke since 1986.  Called The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke, the report makes it clear that only comprehensive smoke-free workplace laws can protect all workers and the public from the serious, scientifically proven dangers of secondhand smoke.

The report's major conclusions:

• The scientific evidence is indisputable that secondhand smoke causes premature death and serious diseases in both adults and children who do not smoke. As Surgeon General Richard Carmona stated, "The debate is over. The science is clear. Secondhand smoke is not a mere annoyance but a serious health hazard."
• Secondhand smoke is a proven cause of lung cancer and heart disease in nonsmoking adults and of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), low birth weight, acute respiratory infections, ear infections and asthma attacks in infants and children. It is responsible for tens of thousands of deaths in the U.S. each year.
• There is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke.
• Exposure to secondhand smoke has substantial and immediate adverse effects on the cardiovascular system.
• The only way to protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke is to require smokefree workplaces and public places. Other approaches, such as air ventilation systems and smoking and non-smoking sections, do not eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke.

For more details of the Surgeon General's report, click here.