Beginning Sept. 1, tobacco users at Rice University will have to limit their consumption to one of 13 locations on campus. There will be a zone within a five-minute walk from any building on campus, and each location will have a covered canopy, waste receptacles and seating areas, Vice President for Administration Kevin Kirby said.
“We reached out and talked to the Student Association and Graduate Student Association about the policy, seeking input on the designated locations, which are flexible and may be adjusted after a few months as we receive feedback from people,” Kirby said.
Violators will be held accountable by regular supervisory programs, with students reporting to Student Judicial Programs, Kirby said.
“Generally, we’re going to rely on the goodwill and nature of people to want to create a good environment for us to live and work in and for community members to remind people to not smoke by doors,” Kirby said. “But if there are exceptions to that behavior, we will go through the normal enforcement processes.”
Kirby cited more stringent requirements by the grant-giving Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas as a reason for the policy change.
“CPRIT gives out grants in the area of cancer prevention, research and the commercialization of research, and Rice is a large recipient of many of their research grants,” Kirby said. “They have instituted a new requirement on those who receive grants, part of which is a tightening of tobacco policies on campus.”
Fellow grant recipients University of Houston and University of Texas at Austin chose to completely ban tobacco on campus.
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