Tobacco: Killer On Campus

Hélène Rainville

The National Library of Medicine re-counts the history of how the U.S. Surgeon General began to voice the link between smoking and lung cancer in 1957. By 1964, the Surgeon General issued a report that held smoking responsible for an increase of 70% for the disease in smokers over non-smokers. Ultimately, forty-six State Attorney Generals went to court and negotiated The Tobacco Master Agreement (MSA) in 1998, a settlement of $206 billion to cover expenses incurred for treating those affected by the product. Another agreement covered smokeless tobacco and other restrictions were imposed on the targeting of youth, advertis- ing, and lobbying.
Article 64 of the North Carolina General Statutes §§ 143-595 (1993) was updated in 2007 to make many areas like the grounds and walkways of the UNC Health Care System smoke-free. In 2010, Governor Purdue signed HB 2, which also made restaurants and bars smoke-free statewide. In 2003, Cumberland County Schools made all the cam- puses free of tobacco products. Army Regulation 600-63 realizes the impact of tobacco on readiness,
prioritizes health prevention and sets limits on the use of tobacco, like mandatory distances from building entrances.
Currently, discussion is ongoing in Cum- berland County on whether to limit smoking in outdoor places like parks and bus stops. In the photos, we can see how many of the Cumberland County campuses are smoke-free since 2013. At Wells Fargo Bank located downtown, a sign in the door says no smoking within 25 feet of the entrance. Many such bans exist across the United States and Canada. In 2009, the Province of On- tario made smoking in a car with a passenger under 16 an offense. New challenges continue to arise with the popularity of smokeless tobacco and e- cigarettes, which are now facing the ire of both the military and Attorneys General.
January 1, 2008 is the last time that the 2001 FSU Smoking Policy for University Facilities/ Grounds was revised. The Chancellor issues this policy and only he/she may make changes. Fayette- ville State University is not just a college campus. It hosts the Early Childhood Learning Center (ECLC) overseen by the School of Education, Cross Creek
Early College High School and Cumberland In- ternational Early College High School. Regularly, Fort Bragg and Cumberland County students take campus tours.
According to Cumberland County Schools’ Associate Superintendent of Operations Tim Kinlaw, even though Cross Creek Early College and Cumberland International Early College high schools are located on the campus of Fayetteville State University, the students and staff are expected to adhere to the school system’s non-smoking poli- cy. Comment was sought from FSU’s Public Rela- tions Office but FSU did not respond. The Dean of the School of Education, Dr. Leontye Lewis de- ferred comment to the Director of the ECLC, Glo- ria Moore Carter, who wrote: “When our children are on the playgrounds, we, the ECLC Staff, have asked individuals to move to another area when they smoke. They have graciously moved away from the area.” None of the leadership contacted spoke regarding the effects on the development of children exposed not just to the contaminants but also to this behavior. African-Americans are at great risk of cardio-vascular disease, which is exacerbated by smoking. The Cancer Society reports that this group dies from smoke-related illnesses more than by AIDS, homicides, diabetes and accidents combined. They want to quit more than Caucasians but do not have the tools and help available. Male veterans, on the other hand, especially those who have been deployed, use tobacco at one of the highest rates according to the Centers for Disease Control and Pre- vention. African-Americans and veterans represent the essence of the student body at                   FSU so it impacts our community.
Fayetteville State University is an HCBU and a constituent mem- ber of the prestigious University of North Carolina system. It is here to serve young African-American men and women who want to be the first in their families to earn a degree. It is here to serve enlisted women and men who earned an educational benefit. Children from birth through High School come to this campus for educational development. Don’t we want them to live long prosperous lives?
The campus grounds are littered with cigarette butts and plastic ends of slim cigars. Students smoke near entrances, chew tobacco in class and use e-cigarettes in hallways. None of these concerns are addressed in the Smoking Policy, which is now thirteen years old. It is time for the Administration to take a hard look at whether it wants to be a leader in the community or continue to be a follower. FSU has a Re- search Center for Health Disparities yet no one has bothered to address the Policy and implement the most well-known killer of all: tobacco.