OSHKOSH, Wis. (WFRV) Some students and faculty at UW Oshkosh want to take the state-wide smoking ban one step further on campus. A group has been formed trying to make UW Oshkosh tobacco free. That would mean no smoking, chewing, or any tobacco products on campus.
The Tobacco-Free Campus Committee is working under a $2,500 grant from the American Lung Association to try and educate students and staff members about the benefits of tighter restrictions. It's estimated one in four students at UW Oshkosh smoke. We're told that's a higher percentage than the state-wide average.
The group wants to ban tobacco products completely in an effort to limit second hand smoke and also improve over-all health on campus. This is all still in the planning stages - but it's not without precedence. UW Stout is a tobacco-free campus and River Falls will be this summer.
Some smokers we spoke with say this change could actually help them quit, but most believe their rights on state property would be violated. They say it's hard enough being a smoker under the state-wide smoking ban and they just want to be able to smoke on the sidewalk or outside their dorm room.
The anti-tobacco group will hold a meeting on Wednesday to educate students about their plans. If approved at the University level, leaders say it could take more than a year to put into practice.
