Effective August 1, Flagler College is a smoke- and tobacco-free campus. The college passed a 100% smoke-free policy that prohibits the use of all smoking products including cigarettes, loose-leaf tobacco, chewing tobacco, and simulated smoking products, such as Juuls, e-cigarettes and vapes.
Flagler College has decided to go smoke-free due to the rise of new simulated products like vapes, e-cigarettes, and Juuls that are encouraged by college party culture and social media. As these products specifically target young adults, Flagler College wants to take a leadership role by becoming 100% smoke- and tobacco-free. The college says the policy will allow the college to better protect the health of its students, faculty, staff, visitors, and community members, and better achieve its mission as an organization.
In order to help students, faculty, and staff with this transition, Flagler College will be providing cessation and Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) to help those addicted to nicotine cope with cravings. This initiative will help in the college’s continued mission to provide a high-quality education in a caring and supportive environment.
As we move forward, the college hopes to create awareness, acceptance, and positive attitudes towards a smoke and tobacco-free campus, while reducing the prevalence of tobacco use and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke. To accomplish this, Flagler College will be launching the Breathe Free Flagler College campaign on campus this fall semester. The campaign will be a positive, friendly, and welcoming, two-year long campaign that was created by strategic communication major students.
Project director for the ‘Breathe Free’ campaign, Dr. Eric Hoffman, said, “Smoking and the use of tobacco products have long been linked to health problems. I am very pleased that Flagler College has passed this new smoke- and tobacco-free policy, and I’m happy to be a part of the Breathe-Free campaign. With the generosity of our supporters and community partners, I am confident that our initiative will be successful and benefit all at Flagler College and the St. Augustine community.”
Tobacco Free St. Johns has sponsored the ‘Breathe Free’ Flagler College campaign and will help the college to inform and to educate students, faculty, staff, and the surrounding community about the benefits of going smoke-free.
Tobacco Free St. Johns is a community-wide, locally organized group collectively working towards eliminating initiation and use of tobacco and alternative nicotine products among St. Johns County residents. Flagler College has been lucky to have the support of TFSJ over the past year to provide valuable advice, resources, and funding for this initiative.
Program Manager at TFSJ, Mary Ann Steinberg, shares “Tobacco Free St. Johns is thrilled to be working with Flagler College to adopt a tobacco-free campus. Together we can reach young adults at risk of becoming addicted to tobacco products and create a healthier learning and living environment. We are pleased that they are now one of the 63 college and university campuses in Florida that are 100% smoke-free.”
Flagler College is also generously supported by the CVS Health Foundation and the American Cancer Society who have contributed an $8,000 grant help us in its efforts to go 100% smoke-free. This grant has and will continue to fund signage on campus and creating promotional items for the ‘Breathe Free’ campaign.
College President Dr. Joseph Joyner said, “I want to thank Tobacco-Free St. Johns and the American Cancer Society for partnering with us on this initiative. The health of our students and employees is one of my top concerns and I am glad to see Flagler College move in this direction – as well as offer support to those who wish to quit.”
About Flagler College
Flagler College is a private, nationally-ranked college located in St. Augustine, Fla. The college offers 32 majors, 38 minors, two pre-professional programs and a master’s degree in Education of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing. Flagler College has an enrollment of about 2,500 students, as well as a satellite campus in Tallahassee, Fla. U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review regularly feature Flagler as a college that offers quality education at a relatively low cost. A Flagler education is less than half the cost of similar private colleges, and competitive with many state universities. A relatively young institution (founded in 1968), Flagler College is also noted for its historic beauty. The centerpiece of the campus is the former Hotel Ponce de Leon, a National Historic Landmark opened in 1888 by railroad pioneer and Standard Oil co-founder Henry M. Flagler. For more on Flagler College, visit flagler.edu.
About Tobacco Free St. Johns
Tobacco Free St. Johns is a community-wide, locally organized group collectively working towards eliminating initiation and use of tobacco and alternative nicotine products among St. Johns County residents, supporting policy change and educating decision makers about the impact of tobacco use and nicotine addiction on the lives of St. Johns County residents and visitors. To connect with Tobacco Free St. Johns visit tobaccofreestjohns.com or ‘like’ Tobacco Free St. Johns County on Facebook!
About American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a century of experience to save lives and end suffering from cancer. As a global grassroots force of more than three million volunteers, we fight for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. We save lives by helping people stay well by preventing cancer or detecting it early; helping people get well by being there for them during and after a cancer diagnosis; by finding cures through investment in groundbreaking discovery; and by fighting back by rallying lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer and by rallying communities worldwide to join the fight. As the nation’s largest non-governmental investor in cancer research, contributing more than $3.5 billion, we turn what we know about cancer into what we do. As a result, more than 11 million people in America who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will be celebrating birthdays this year. To learn more about us or to get help, call us any time, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.
