The residence life staff has expressed approval of the proposal to go smoke free in and around the residence halls, and is willing to enforce the policy. Rationale Student Health Smoking among college students is rising, particularly among college women. Despite the tremendous public health prevention and education efforts, young adults are still making the dangerous choice to use tobacco products. Information from the CORE Institute also shows a fairly high correlation between smoking and alcohol use and abuse by college students. Sixteen percent of those students have been smoking since the age of 16, which also correlates with the age when 31.8 percent of those who use alcohol or other drugs began to use those substances.
Smoking causes lung and other cancers, heart disease, stroke, chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
Half of all long-term smokers' cause of death will be tobacco use. Mount St. Mary's Health Services during the 1999-2000 academic year treated 752 cases of upper respiratory infection. Although data is not available, it can be assumed that this also resulted in missed class time as well as missed work time for those students and seminarians treated for upper respiratory infections, including chronic bronchitis which is associated with cigarette smoking. At this age, students are developing habits that will affect them for life. Making the choice to smoke despite all the evidence regarding the dangers and decreased life expectancy as well as quality of life is alarming.