Human Resource Services
Frequently Asked Questions
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What is the Tobacco-Free Campus initiative?
Why did UF go tobacco-free?
Why did you select tobacco rather than other health risks as the focus?
Who do the tobacco-free guidelines apply to?
What will UF do about people leaving the campus or going across the street or into neighboring properties to smoke?
Are you trying to dictate people’s lifestyle choices?
Can people smoke in personal vehicles or state vehicles while on campus?
Who is responsible for reporting people who use tobacco products in prohibited areas?
Which UF policy includes information about our tobacco-free campus policy?
What will happen if employees use tobacco while on campus?
What specific resources are available for UF employees or students who wish to stop using tobacco products?
What other resources are available?
What about employees located in off-campus buildings?
Are employees prohibited from bringing tobacco products to work or just using these products on campus?
Will there be any smoking areas on campus for students, visitors, faculty, and staff to use?
Will you offer resources for visitors who want to smoke or use tobacco?
Do the policies extend to vendors, contracted workers, etc.?
Who will enforce these new guidelines?
What is the Tobacco-Free Campus initiative?
To promote the health and well-being of students, visitors, and employees, all University of Florida facilities became a tobacco-free campus starting July 1, 2010. Visitors and employees are no longer permitted to smoke or use tobacco products on any part of the UF campus, including buildings, parking lots, and cars. The UF Health Science Center and Shands HealthCare enacted this policy in November of 2009.
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Why did UF go tobacco-free?
We have a commitment to providing our faculty, staff, and students with a healthy work and learning environment. We now call on our staff and customers to model health-promoting behaviors while on our properties. For information about how the use of tobacco products contributes to cancer, and for cancer statistics, please visit tobaccofree.health.ufl.edu.
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Why did you select tobacco rather than other health risks as the focus?
In addition to the state’s increasing incidence of cancer, many people are not aware of the negative impact that use of tobacco has on health, including:
- Smoking is a lead factor in heart disease, cancer stroke and lung disease
- According to the National Cancer Institute, in the United States, approximately 38,000 deaths each year are caused by exposure to secondhand smoke
- Smoking costs the U.S. approximately $97.2 billion annually in health care and lost productivity
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Who do the tobacco-free guidelines apply to?
The tobacco-free guidelines apply to everyone on UF’s campuses – including employees, faculty, students, patients, family members, visitors, volunteers, contractors, subcontractors, vendors, etc. This includes people in buildings, parking lots, and vehicles on these campuses. The President or designee may allow smoking in specific designated areas of campus for clinical treatment purposes, including smoking cessation programs or research-related purposes.
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What will UF do about people leaving the campus or going across the street or into neighboring properties to smoke?
We expect employees to be ambassadors and representatives of our organizations and respect neighboring properties outside our campuses. We will enforce work rules that outline when employees can take breaks and if they can leave campus on their breaks. We will ask employees and visitors not to trespass on private properties surrounding our campuses. Private property owners have the right to enforce their boundaries including trespass warnings, etc. The fifty feet (50’) areas surrounding campus facilities are also designated as no smoking areas.
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Are you trying to dictate people’s lifestyle choices?
We believe that tobacco use is harmful to people’s health. We also realize the use of tobacco is a personal choice. We are asking people to refrain from tobacco use – i.e., adapt their behaviors – while they are working on or visiting our health campuses and properties.
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Can people smoke in personal vehicles or state vehicles while on campus?
The use of tobacco products is prohibited on campus. This includes vehicles parked on UF campus properties and in our parking lots and garages. The fifty feet (50’) areas surrounding such facilities are also designated as no smoking areas. People found smoking in their vehicles will be asked to stop. Employees who repeatedly violate policy will be reported to their supervisor.
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Who is responsible for reporting people who use tobacco products in prohibited areas?
We expect employees to be ambassadors and representatives of our organizations. We now call on faculty, staff, and visitors to model health-promoting behaviors while on our properties. Employees who know someone is using tobacco on campus are encouraged to politely explain our policy and share available resources and information. If an employee repeatedly violates the tobacco-free policy, another employee can report him or her to a supervisor.
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Which UF policy includes information about our tobacco-free campus policy?
The UF policy is available on the HRS web site.
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What will happen if employees use tobacco while on campus?
UF faculty, staff and students are asked to comply with the July 1 tobacco-free guidelines and to follow the updated UF policy. Non-compliant employees who do not cooperate or repeatedly violate work rules and guidelines will be reported to their supervisor. The supervisor will be responsible for enforcing work rules for their staff. We will follow standard disciplinary procedures for compliance problems.
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What specific resources are available for UF employees or students who wish to stop using tobacco products?
A wide selection of counseling services, self-help materials and medicines are available today to help smokers and tobacco-users quit successfully.
In a joint effort, the Student Health Care Center, UF’s Employee Assistance Program and the UF Area Health Education Centers are offering UF employees a free smoking cessation program. All employees, including OPS, who are interested in quitting smoking are encouraged to learn more about this program.
The groups will meet for approximately 90 minutes for six consecutive weeks and will include education, group support and medical oversight with pharmaceutical smoking cessation medications. Medications will be available under the prescription and management of a skilled medical provider and offered to participants at a significant discount. Because success at quitting is more likely when partners quit together, spouses and partners are invited to participate at no cost also.
Additional groups will be offered as demand requires. Because a brief medical screening is required, please call early to enroll. Participation in the program will count as time worked if scheduled during the employee’s normal working hours. For more information or to enroll, please contact the EAP at 352-392-5787 or visit the Student Health Care web site.
For students, individual counseling sessions are available through GatorWell at the UF Student Health Care Center. Low-cost nicotine replacement therapy and pharmacotherapy also are available.
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What other resources are available?
Please see the yellow box at the top of this page for additional information and resources. We are also sharing the following public resources with all our employees, patients and visitors:
- The Florida Department of Health offers a toll-free Quitline, 1-877-U-CAN-NOW (1-877-822-6669), and a web site with free resources in English and Spanish and counselors available 24 hours a day.
- The American Cancer Society offers a toll-free phone line, 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669).
- The National Cancer Institute offers a toll-free phone line, 1-877-44U-QUIT (1-877-448-7848), for access to English- and Spanish-speaking counselors.
- Visit Smokefree.gov for additional resources.
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What about employees located in off-campus buildings?
The tobacco-free campus policy extends to all UF campuses and facilities. All employees will be expected to support and adhere to policies. The fifty feet (50’) areas surrounding such facilities are also designated as no smoking areas.
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Are employees prohibited from bringing tobacco products to work or just using these products on campus?
Employees are not prohibited from bringing tobacco products to work. The use of tobacco products is prohibited on our health campuses. This includes vehicles parked on campus properties and in our parking lots and garages.
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Will there be any smoking areas on campus for students, visitors, faculty, and staff to use?
Offering smoking areas does not support our goal to create a healthy environment for our patients, visitors and staff. We want to eliminate the triggers and temptations that make it hard for people to stop using tobacco.
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Will you offer resources for visitors who want to smoke or use tobacco?
Visitors will not be permitted to use tobacco products while on our campuses. Employees will be asked to share resource information with visitors.
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Do the policies extend to vendors, contracted workers, etc.?
Yes. All visitors – including vendors, contract workers, etc. – are asked to refrain from using tobacco products on our campuses.
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Who will enforce these new guidelines?
Our employees, volunteers, and students are responsible for ensuring a safe and healthy environment for our patients, visitors and staff. They will be asked to support the new guidelines and remind violators that we have a tobacco-free environment on our healthcare campuses.
Non-compliant employees who do not cooperate or repeatedly violate work rules and guidelines will be reported to their supervisor. The supervisor will be responsible for enforcing work rules for their staff. We will follow standard disciplinary procedures for compliance problems.
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