Policy Guidelines
Gold Star Policy Standards
The Maine Tobacco-Free College Network Gold Star Policy Standards are a based upon proven strategies for creating tobacco-free environments:
1. 100% tobacco-free campus policy. Tobacco use is defined as all tobacco products, including, but not limited to, cigarettes, cigars, spit and smokeless tobacco, chew snuff, and snus. This means that tobacco use is prohibited:
• in all university affiliated buildings (including residence halls, administrative facilities, classrooms and fraternity and sororitiy houses)
• at all university sponsored events – both indoor and outdoor
• on all university grounds
• in all university-owned or leased vehicles
Policy applies to all students, faculty, staff, visitors and others.
2. Appropriate signage is posted at key locations, including entrances to buildings, parking lots and on campus grounds.
3. Information about tobacco use and treatment, secondhand smoke, and local and statewide treatment resources are readily available to students, faculty, staff and visitors. The University’s tobacco policy is clearly posted in employee and student handbooks, on the campus website, and in other relevant publications.
4. All off-campus meetings, conferences, fundraisers and events are tobacco-free.
5. Advertising and promotion of tobacco products is not allowed on the university’s campus or satellite facilities. This includes advertising in university publications, such as newspapers and magazines.
6. Sale of tobacco products and paraphernalia is prohibited on campus and at campus-sponsored events.
7. The free distribution of tobacco products on campus, including by fraternities or sororities, is expressly forbidden.
8. Campus organizations are forbidden from accepting money from tobacco companies. This includes campus groups, events, individuals, and athletic events.
9. The university refuses all donations from the tobacco industry, and divests itself of tobacco company stock.
10. Recommendations for college/university visitor lodging will highlight establishments with smoke-free policies.
Congratulations to the 2011 MTFCN Gold Star Standards of Excellence Award Winners. Any Maine institution of higher learning who meets at least five of the above ten policy standards is welcome to participate in the program fall. See our tobacco-free campus support tools below for tips on how to meet each of these standards.
The tobacco-free campus policy standards were initiallyderived from the American Cancer Society's Smoke-Free New England Campus Initiative 7-step plan for policy development.
Tobacco Free Campus Support Kit
The Maine Tobacco-Free College Network (MTFCN) is pleased to present you with this tobacco-free campus support packet. The purpose of this packet is to provide you and your faculty/staff with free resources and materials that will make it as simple as possible to move toward and/or implement a 100% tobacco-free campus policy. We hope that these materials will be helpful for all types of higher learning institutions, including colleges, universities, technical schools, trade schools, and other post-secondary education programs. For your convenience, all materials can be downloaded as word documents for easy editing to match your needs.
Tobacco-Free Campus Support Kit (PDF)
- Tobacco-Free Campus Fact Sheet (PDF)
- Sample policy
- Frequently asked questions
- Sample press release
- Sample letter to students
- Sample letter to faculty and staff
- Sample letter to neighbors
- Model signage
- Palm card enforcement tool
- Tobacco-Free Campus Handbill
If you would like to receive a free hard copy of the MTFCN Policy Support Kit, please contact us at (207)874-8774 or info@mainetobaccofreecollegenetwork.org.
Learn more about adopting tobacco-free college policies and the Maine Tobacco-Free College Network policy standards from the September 2011 Presentation from the MTFCN.
Additional how-to guides to policy development can be found at the following websites:
American Cancer Society's Smoke-Free New England Campus Initiative
BACCHUS and GAMMA's Tobacco Free U
Journey of a Lifetime: One Step at a Time to a Tobacco-Free Campus.
In this manual on pages 26-29, you will find steps for policy change as well as lessons learned from other campuses and answers to frequently asked questions about tobacco control policies.
