IT Sligo is establishing three “Tobacco Free” zones outside several key buildings on its campus.
By getting people to stop smoking in the open-air zones, the Institute hopes to achieve better air quality and reduce passive smoking dangers for the benefit of students, staff and visitors. The designated areas were announced today, Ash Wednesday. They include busy entrances to teaching, administrative, canteen and students’ services buildings and the area around the Knocknarea Arena.
It is an initiative of a group of Public Health and Health Promotion students, and is part of the Institute’s new “Healthy Campus Initiative”, under the direction of Life Sciences Lecturer, Máire McCallion the Institute’s Health and Safety Officer, Yvonne Roache. Named “Breathe Easy”, the policy is being phased in with the aim of encouraging voluntary buy-in from smokers. The students developed the plan after conducting a campus survey which showed that more than half of respondents wanted an entirely smoke-free campus. The backdrop to their work is the “Tobacco Free Ireland” report, launched by the Minister for Health, Dr Reilly, last October which proposed radically reducing smoking by 2025.
Among its recommendations was promotion of “tobacco free campuses for all third-level institutions in consultation with key stakeholders”. The students received official backing when they and members of the cross-campus Healthy Campus committee met the Institute’s Executive last month. Professor Terri Scott, President of IT Sligo, said: “The new zones will make the campus a healthier and more welcoming place for the entire campus community and visitors. The students and the Healthy Campus committee deserve great praise for all their efforts. “When they outlined the ideas to Executive members, we liked what we heard. They were pushing an open door.” Initially, the students will monitor the zones’ day to day operation and if people light up they will hand them cards drawing attention to the new designation. Each card will also have details of stop-smoking advisory services. “Breathe Easy” team member Shannon Gorman said: “The project takes a positive approach by encouraging smokers not to smoke in the tobacco-free areas and getting staff and students to support the project. “This way, we hope to denormalise smoking in these areas so that people come to regard it as being, literally, out of place.”
The project is part of a three-step programme that could see the campus being entirely smoke-free by September 2015. It is planned to have a tobacco free zone at the main exits/entrances of each campus building next September. Institute officials, who say a tobacco-free campus by September 2015 is an ambitious target, emphasise that no decision on it will be taken in advance of a consultation process. The “Breathe Easy” team comprises Afric Gray, who is from Calry, Co Sligo, Daniel Simpson from Sligo, Eilis Gannon, Williamstown, Co Galway, Lorraine Moylan, Beagh, Gort, Co Galway, Rebecca Neary, Boyle, Co Roscommon and Shannon Gorman, Killybegs, Co Donegal. They are working closely with Yvonne Roache and Máire McCallion and have received support from IT Sligo Students’ Union, IT Sligo Student Health Services and Pauline Kent, HSE Smoking Cessation Co-coordinator, Sligo Regional Hospital.
Kicking the habit: At the launch of IT Sligo’s three Tobacco Free zones, students Eilis Gannon (front right) and Shannon Gorman (front left) happily boot out an an welcome “cigarette” encouraged by (left to right) Rebecca Neary, Afric Gray, Daniel Simpson and Lorraine Moylan.
IT Sligo students Rebecca Neary, Boyle, Co. Roscommon and Daniel Simpson from Sligo, grimace at the sight of a jar showing the amount of tar that builds up in the lungs if you smoke “20 a day” for a year. They were taking part in the launch of three Tobacco Free zones at the campus.