Three years since saying no to tobacco use, the College’s campus-wide initiative to improve the health of its students, faculty, staff, and visitors has received another accolade acknowledging the community’s dedication to this program. This year, the College is honored to receive the highest level of distinction in the 2016 Maine Tobacco-Free College Network Gold Star Standards of Excellence Recognition Program, improving on its previous ranking as a silver-level institution.
To earn gold, Saint Joseph’s had to receive stars in all 10 of the program’s outlined standards, which include initiating a 100% smoke- and tobacco-free campus policy, strictly enforcing said policy, and offering support for and education about the dangers of tobacco usage. Building upon efforts begun when the policy was first announced in 2013, this year, members of the College pushed to get more prominent signage in place declaring the campus as a proudly tobacco-free space.
“We worked hard to increase this initiative’s visibility,” says Jenna Chase ’11, Wellness coordinator and summer housing specialist. “We put up stickers all around campus to remind our community members that tobacco use is prohibited. It’s great to have our efforts recognized by the Maine Tobacco-Free College Network for another year, and even better to have been awarded top honors!”
In celebration of this achievement, representatives of the College will attend an awards ceremony on Tuesday, March 15, at the Augusta Branch of Bangor Savings Bank in Augusta, Maine. Saint Joseph’s is one of only 10 colleges and universities that placed at a bronze, silver, or gold level in 2016.
For more information on the College’s tobacco-free policy, please contact Jenna Chase at 893-6627 or jchase@sjcme.edu.
