Dawgs against tobacco is hoping to create a 100% smoke and vape free campus.
34% of Michigan universities have a 100% smoke-free or tobacco free policy. The second most common policy (29%) is, smoking is allowed in private vehicles, as well as parking lots according to the State of Michigan.
Team lead Lauren Hitt who is a social work major in the last year of her master’s degree believes this will help contribute to a healthier campus, and emphasized the importance of cessation resources rather than punishment.
Q: What is Dawgs against tobacco?
A: “Our project leads Dr. Kelly and Dr. Kelsh received a grant in 2023 from Truth Initiative to create a 100% smoke and vape free campus, at Ferris State University. Through this grant, Kyle Van Brocklin and I are college leaders who created this group through the College of Pharmacy. We have facilitated a campus wide survey that was used to understand how the campus body would support a 100% smoke and vape free campus, we have hosted a campus clean up where we cleaned up cigarette butts around campus, and we have hosted numerous other events centered around the harms of nicotine use and cessation help.”
Truth initiative is a non-profit organization that helps people stop smoking, and Truth informs them on the risks of smoking.
Q: Why did you join the Dawgs against tobacco organization?
A: “I joined this grant project because I strongly believe in advocating for a healthier campus. I also understand the barriers that someone has when they are addicted to nicotine, and I feel passionately about helping students or staff who are struggling with a nicotine addiction.”
Q: What does this organization hope to accomplish, and how will it accomplish that?
A: “We hope to accomplish a 100% smoke and vape free campus at Ferris State University. We have done a lot of work to hopefully accomplish this goal, including creating a Vape/Tobacco-Free Campus Taskforce, which met monthly last academic year, we surveyed the entire campus, students and staff and we gathered those results and shared them with the university, we also received an extension to our grant from Truth Initiative which allows us to continue this work. This upcoming semester we have events planned for October, November and December.
We also hope to accomplish having more cessation resources available on campus. In order to have a 100% smoke and vape free campus, it would be imperative to have resources for students or staff who have a nicotine addiction and rather than ‘punishing’ someone when enforcing the policy, we would have resources to help them.”
Q: How does Ferris’s tobacco policy differ from other universities in Michigan?
A: “Currently Ferris State University has a 45% passing rate compared to other Universities when it comes to vaping and smoking on campus.
Our currently policy is as stated: ‘Smoking is prohibited within twenty-five (25) feet of the exterior doors of all Ferris State University facilities unless officially designated otherwise by the University.’”
Q: What impact has Dawgs Against Tobacco had on campus so far?
A: “We have not noticed any major impacts on campus yet, but we have been able to at least start the conversation and gained support from both students and staff at the university.”
Q: Are there any upcoming events?
A: “We have an event on October 17th called “A Conversation on Vaping with Dr. Shelley Schmidt” from 6pm-8pm in the DEC Ballroom 202A&B. We will be discussing several factors around vaping as well as quitting tips.”
President Bill Pink had seen some of the things Dawgs against Tobacco has done.
“I’ve seen some of their information in terms of some of the ways they have been having some of these conversations,” Pink said. “I think as those conversations get more and more, our folks will continue to listen and have consideration for what that could look like and needs to look like. I have not had a whole lot of that conversation just yet, but I have been hearing about it. I do know some of our folks have been engaged in that.”
Ferris is tied last with three other Michigan universities on the Tobacco-free report card, conducted by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.