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Board grants authority to create Smoke-Free Campus task force

September 18, 2014

Smoke free campusThe Board of Trustees of Northern Illinois University granted to President Doug Baker the authority to appoint a community task force for the purpose of carrying out the “responsibilities of state-supported institutions of higher education including but not limited to, notification to students, employees and the public of the prohibition under the Smoke Free Campus Act and the development and distribution of policies, procedures and rules to implement the act.”

The Board further delegated the authority to establish and approve policies and procedures necessary for the implementation of the act and to establish disciplinary and administrative procedures and standards for violation of the act, including fines.

The president will periodically report to the Board the status of this effort and shall take any and all steps necessary to fulfill the purpose and intent of the act.

The Smoke Free Campus Act will prohibit smoking on state supported higher education institutions including public university and community college campuses effective July 1, 2015. The Act, which does not apply to individuals traveling through campus in non-state owned vehicles, requires universities to establish a task force by December 31, 2014, to coordinate the implementation of the act with community and campus leaders. It also requires that the prohibitions on smoking be communicated to all students and
employees of state-supported institutions of higher education on or before May 1, 2015 and to each guest of a state-supported institution of higher education upon request.

The Illinois General Assembly passed—and Governor Quinn signed into law—Public Act 098-0985 on August 18, 2014, creating the Smoke-Free Campus Act.