Wallace Community College is committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for its employees, students, and visitors. The College recognizes the right of persons to make their own decisions about their personal use of tobacco products away from the College. However, in light of findings of the U.S. Surgeon General that exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke and use of tobacco products are significant health hazards, it is the intent of the College to establish a tobacco-free environment on its campuses and in its vehicles. Consequently, the use, distribution, or sale of tobacco products, including the carrying of any lighted smoking instrument, in College buildings or in or upon other College premises or inside College-owned, rented, or leased vehicles, is prohibited. Wallace Community College employees, students, and visitors are not permitted to use tobacco products inside their private vehicles while on College property. For the purposes of this policy, a tobacco product is defined as all tobacco-derived or containing products, including and not limited to, cigarettes (e.g., clove, bidis, kreteks), electronic cigarettes, cigars and cigarillos, hookah smoked products, pipes and oral tobacco (e.g., spit and spitless, smokeless, chew, snuff) and nasal tobacco. It also includes any product intended to mimic tobacco products, contain tobacco flavoring or deliver nicotine, to include water vapor emitting products.
All College employees, students, visitors, and contractors are required to comply with this policy, which shall remain in force at all times. Any College employee or student found to be in violation of the tobacco-free policy will be subject to a monetary fine. Tickets will be issued by College Police officers for violations of the College tobacco-free policy. Monetary fines will be imposed as listed below, depending on whether the offender is an employee or student.
Any visitor or contractor found to be violating the policy shall be asked to discontinue the disallowed activity, and any failure by a visitor or contractor to discontinue the disallowed activity after being requested to do so shall result in the visitor or contractor being escorted off the College premises by the College Police.
STUDENT FINES
Any Wallace student found to have violated this policy shall be subject to the following fines:
- 1st student ticket - Warning
- 2nd student ticket - $25.00 fine
All fines must be paid within 7 days of ticketing. Fines that are not paid within the 7 days shall automatically double in amount. A student who has a pending fine or fines may not register for classes nor have transcripts released until all fines are paid in full. Any student desiring to appeal a fine arising from the finding of a tobacco-free violation under this policy may do so with the appropriate Campus Dean.
EMPLOYEE FINES
Any Wallace employee found to have violated this policy shall be subject to the following fines:
- First employee ticket – Warning
- Second employee ticket – $25.00 fine
All fines must be paid within 7 days of ticketing. Fines that are not paid within the 7 days shall automatically double in amount. Any employee desiring to appeal a fine arising from the finding of a tobacco-free violation under this policy may do so with the appropriate Campus Dean.
With the exception of advertising in a newspaper, magazine, or similar publication that is not produced by Wallace Community College, no tobacco-related advertising or sponsorship shall be permitted on the College’s campuses or at College-sponsored events. No tobacco-related advertising or sponsorship shall appear in any publications produced by the College or by any club or association authorized by Wallace Community College. For the purposes of this policy, the term tobacco-related applies to the use of a tobacco brand or corporate name, trademark, logo, symbol or motto, selling message, recognizable pattern of colors or any other indicia of product identification identical to, similar to, or identifiable with, those used for any brand of tobacco products or company that manufactures tobacco products.