Student leaders Krista Paul and Megan Kiehl have started work on a project they hope will turn UW-Whitewater into a smoke-free campus.

After spending the last couple of years researching the effects of smoking on students and the success of other campuses which have gone smoke-free, they said they are ready to take the next step, asking the opinion of the students.
Paul said a survey will be released to guage student interest on the topic in upcoming weeks, allowing students to share which direction they would like to see UW-Whitewater take.
According to the group, their main goal is not to infringe on anyone’s rights, but rather to make campus a healthier place for everyone and gauge the interest of the student body.
Paul and Kiehl said they have taken special training on how to educate college students about the effects of smoking and secondhand smoke. They said the effects of secondhand smoke are the same as the effects of smoking, a major concern being secondhand smoke could aggravate asthma symptoms.
If Whitewater moves forward with the decision to become smoke free it would join two other UW System schools: UW-Stout and UW-Baraboo/Sauk County.
If the policy goes forth, the group said they hope people will be healthier on campus.
However, Paul and Kiehl said they don’t want to cause problems in the community by forcing smokers to cross into community members’ lawns to smoke and having designated spots on campus for smokers is a reality.
One problem they said they see with the rule already in place is if smokers need to be 25 feet from the doors of the UC, they end up next to the playground exposing children secondhand smoke.
According to Paul, the group is already working on providing help to smokers who want to quit with cessation services.
Students interested in joining the smoke-free campus team are encouraged to contact them at [email protected].