Maricopa Breathe Easy: Implementing a system-wide tobacco free campus policy

Audience: Appropriate for individuals working on tobacco free campus policy initiatives such as: student advocates, college faculty, governmental and NGO tobacco advocates, and corporate or community representatives.

Key Points: The Maricopa Community College District (MCCCD), one of the largest in the nation, will implement tobacco free campus policies on July 1, 2012.  Student groups were mobilized through the IGNITE program, a tobacco advocacy initiative supported by state and local health departments.  Student groups received training and technical assistance to recruit a tobacco taskforce, research tobacco policy and conduct campus events addressing topics such as tobacco cessation, policy advocacy, and other tobacco issues.  Administrative support for the policy change was secured as local and national research was reviewed and public support for the initiative was demonstrated.  An implementation team consisting of representatives from each college, key district departments and community partners is coordinating the implementation of this policy change through simultaneous awareness, cessation, and policy compliance campaigns. 

Educational Experience: Utilizing real life examples, presentation will expound on the activities, challenges and successes of the MCCCD and the IGNITE program as they prepared and implemented a system-wide tobacco free policy initiative.   

Benefits: Although not the first colleges to do so, undertaking a system-wide tobacco policy change affecting more than 260,000 students and over 8,000 employees at 25 locations has required commitment, innovation and a demonstration of sound advocacy practices to gain student and administrative support while coordinating efforts across multiple locations.  These efforts can be replicated and applied by many other organizations.