Faculty, employees, students, contractors, vendors, campus visitors, and all others must abide by the policy.

No. The policy stipulates that no one can use tobacco products at any time on MGA property. Employees are not required to stop using tobacco but may not use it on campus. Employees are encouraged to quit using tobacco.

Enforcing our tobacco-free campus is our shared, community responsibility. This means all students, faculty, and staff share in the responsibility to help keep our campus tobacco-free. Signage to help inform our campus community and visitors will be placed throughout campus. Violation of this policy may result in corrective action under the Student Code of Conduct or campus human resource policies. Persons refusing to comply may be asked to leave campus.

No - not on MGA property, which includes parking lots.

The new tobacco-free policy can be found on the tobacco initiative web page. Click on the policy link on the right-side menu of this page.

Communication about the new policy will be consistent and ongoing around the Middle Georgia campuses. Signage will begin to appear in late-September, starting with permanent street signs at all entrance points, major intersections, parking lots, etc. Temporary signs will be placed in highly visible locations all around campus before the start of each semester to remind newcomers, as well as returning students, faculty, and staff, about the policy.

New students will be advised of the policy during orientation sessions. New faculty and staff are being advised of the policy during their orientation as new hires.

The new policy will be included in documents such as student, faculty, and staff handbooks. There will be posters and window labels around campus in visible locations. Visitors who are attending events on-campus (e.g., athletic events, presentations, community activities) will be reminded of the new policy via signage, announcements, and other forms of communication as appropriate for the event.

The initiative will maintain a web page dedicated to electronic communication for current information and announcements. This will be the starting point to access details about tobacco policy-related activities and available resources, such as cessation materials, class registration, etc.

This is probably the most frequently-asked question about the new policy. Expert sources indicate that tobacco policy enforcement is most effective when based on qualities of respect for each other and for the environment, rather than being punitive in nature. Therefore, enforcement will adhere to this model of mutual respect. We hope that all members of our MGA community will be good campus citizens by demonstrating compliance with the policy. It is our hope that this model will be adequate. If not, violation of this policy may result in corrective action under the Student Code of Conduct or campus human resource policies. Persons refusing to comply may be asked to leave campus.

The enforcement model is based upon mutual respect and good citizenship within MGA campus community. Should you see someone violating the tobacco policy, you are welcome to politely remind the person about the tobacco-free policy.

You may say "Good morning/afternoon/evening. Are you aware that we are now a tobacco-free campus? Thanks for helping us to maintain a healthy environment for everyone here at Middle Georgia." OR "Excuse me. I hate to bother you, but I wanted to remind you of a new policy that was recently implemented here at MGA that doesn't permit smoking or use of any tobacco products on campus. You may have missed the signage across campus so hopefully this reminder will help. We want to help make our campus a healthy one."

It is important to recognize that enforcement should always be respectful, discreet, and positive, NOT confrontational and negative. Please review talking tips for more helpful tips.

After you have spoken with the student on at least three occasions, you may send the student's name, dates, times, and locations of the interactions you have had with the student to the Office of Student Affairs.

MGA will offer ongoing information to students, faculty, and staff to encourage tobacco cessation initiatives. We are dedicated to helping members of the Middle Georgia community quit smoking and eliminate tobacco use. Check out the Knightly News and the Events section on this website for class information as it becomes available.