Through the collaborative efforts of the Residence Halls Association, University Health Service (UHS) and University Housing, all residence halls are entirely smoke-free, says E. Royster Harper, vice president of student affairs.

With the start of this academic year, the University eliminated smoking in the 4 percent of rooms, or 470 spaces out of 9,500, that previously allowed students to light up within the confines of their living quarters, she says.

“Our primary goal was health-related,” says Dr. Robert Winfield, director, UHS. “We took our cue from the long-term efforts of University Housing staff, and from the American College Health Association, which has a goal of reducing the proportion of adults who smoke to below 12 percent by the year 2010. One of the organization’s recommendations is for colleges and universities to prohibit smoking in residence halls in order to encourage students to remain or become smoke-free.”

Harper cites research by the Harvard School of Public Health that concludes college students who live in a smoke-free environment are 40 percent less likely to take up smoking. She says the non-smoking policy also solves a problem associated with residence halls at U-M: second-hand smoke. Older ventilation systems in many halls allow smoke to travel to other rooms in the building, presenting problems for residents with asthma or other respiratory conditions, or simply for students who want to avoid exposure, Harper says. Each hall will establish an acceptable area for smokers, within a reasonable distance from the building, so that other students can avoid second-hand smoke.

In order for students and staff in the residence halls to have a better sense of the non-smoking policy and to promote constructive relations between smokers and non-smokers, University Housing has been holding information sessions on why the halls are now smoke-free.

Harper says for those students who want help kicking the habit, UHS has a free, personalized medical care program and a free Web-based program called BreatheAdvantage. For information, visit http://www.uhs.umich.edu/health/quitsmoking.html/.