Washington’s smoking ban proposal I-901 may have passed back in December 2005, but until two weeks ago, the UW had not put a permanent on-campus policy regarding smokers into place.

Even though signs around campus declare the UW to be smoke-free, smokers are still permitted to smoke in designated areas.

Effective Feb. 23, those who choose to smoke on campus can only do so in designated areas determined by the UW’s office of Environmental Health and Safety (EHS).

The office worked in conjunction with Seattle Public Health to ensure each smoking area complied with the state’s 25-foot rule, which maintains that smokers must stay 25 feet away from doors, windows and any other building openings.

“Part of the issue with the place of employment is that people are not supposed to be exposed to secondhand smoke,” said Karen VanDusen, director of EHS. “We’ve tried to make it such that people could relatively easily get to a smoking area if they had to.”

An addition was filed to the Washington Administrative Code (WAC) Jan. 23 that specifically addressed smoking on the UW campus: Those who choose to smoke will be prohibited from all university facilities, which includes vehicles, all UW buildings (owned, occupied or managed by the university) and any outside areas located on campus, including bus shelters, benches and walkways.

It also outlines the addition of designated smoking areas, and it points to the UW Police Department (UWPD) as the main enforcing body, although building supervisors are expected to be the main on-site instigators of the policy.

“For the police on campus, we’re going to be a last resort,” said Ray Wittmier, assistant police chief of the UWPD. “We don’t want to be out there writing tickets for everybody that makes a mistake as far as the smoking violation. I think what you’re going to see for the most part is the people responsible for different buildings making sure that those around those particular buildings are following within the guidelines.”

Wittmier anticipates most people will simply comply with the new policy, but individuals who refuse to follow the law will likely be referred to the UWPD.

The University has historically received numerous complaints about smoking on campus, VanDusen said, especially during the spring when many buildings leave their windows open.

It wasn’t until I-901 was passed that the UW had to enact an emergency policy on campus immediately to comply with the law.

With the addition of these designated areas and the possibility of disciplinary action for violators, VanDusen anticipates there may not be a future need for smoking sections on campus.

“Hopefully we get to a place where people won’t be smoking at all and we won’t need [designated areas],” VanDusen said. “Most of the calls that I get are asking, ‘Why do we have them at all?’ We are getting strong support for no smoking on campus.”

For faculty and staff, violating the smoking ban will be a personnel issue, VanDusen said.

Rebecca Deardorff, director of the UW Rules Coordination Office, said staff and faculty who infringe the law will likely answer to a supervisor.

“The way [the WAC policy] was written is there are provisions if staff are violating it that a supervisor could step in and make it a working relationship kind of issue,” Deardorff said.

It is less clear what kind of action will be taken against students who violate the policy.

VanDusen hypothesized that the Office of the Provost for Student Life would be the disciplinary body for student violations; at print time, the office was not able to return The Daily’s request for a comment.

Under the UW Student Conduct Code, action may be taken to caution or reprimand students who violate any university rule or policy; these citations are usually written warnings indicating that any continuation or repetition of the misconduct will result in more serious disciplinary action, which includes probation, restitution, suspension or even dismissal.

“It could be as much as simply a counseling session,” VanDusen said.

VanDusen stressed that a large part of enforcing the policy centers on educating students about smoking and its repercussions.

UW-sponsored health insurance will provide faculty and staff with smoking cessation programs at no cost; students can access free programs at Hall Health to learn how to quit smoking.

“Candidly, students will be the hardest to enforce this with,” VanDusen said. “When I have gone across campus, historically, most of the smokers have been students. What we’re hoping for is a gradual culture change.”

Reach reporter Tiffany Wan at news@thedaily.washington.edu.