Smoking Policy

Dutchess Community College is now a completely tobacco-free environment. The ban includes cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, pipes, vaping, snus, dip and all related products. Use of these products is prohibited on all college property.

More than one-third of educational institutions in New York are now smoke-free or tobacco-free. In 2012, SUNY Trustees passed "Tobacco-Free SUNY," a resolution in favor of the NYS legislature requiring all SUNY schools to establish 100% tobacco-free campus policies. The importance of creating a tobacco-free college culture based on respect for others and the environment has taken hold in New York.

Almost half of our sister community colleges have gone tobacco- or smoke-free, including Ulster, Hudson Valley, Rockland, Cayuga, Adirondack, Schenectady, Broome, Columbia-Greene, and Westchester. It's on the horizon for virtually all of the others. All 23 City University of New York campuses are now tobacco-free, as are many of the SUNY four-year institutions.

The College worked closely with our state partners at the local tobacco-free Action Communities coalition to make this happen, and we're proud to have joined the colleges they've already helped transition to tobacco- or smoke-free.

A task force of volunteers from the campus community, with student, faculty and staff representation, facilitated the transition and ensured that education and other resources were available to help those who wished to stop smoking.

Why Go Smoke- or Tobacco-Free on Campus?

  • Promote respect for others and for the campus environment.
  • Create an environment that helps students, staff and faculty to stop using tobacco or never start. (Evidence suggests that tobacco-free campus policies reduce smoking prevalence among those on campus.)
  • Avoid undermining the health of our young people by unintentionally supporting the development of what is often a lifelong addiction.
  • Reduce exposure to secondhand smoke. (Secondhand tobacco smoke is classified by the Environmental Protection Agency as a Class A carcinogen, the same as asbestos, and there is no safe level of exposure. Evidence suggests that short-term exposure to secondhand smoke, even outdoors, puts people at risk, especially those with pre-existing cardiac and respiratory conditions.)
  • Enhance the campus' image as a clean and healthy environment.

Thank you for your cooperation in creating a healthier environment for all at DCC.

Do You Smoke?

Now is a great time to quit. Free cessation products and additional support are available through New York Quits.

1 (866) NY-QUITS | www.nysmokefree.com

For more information on these programs, please contact the Counseling Office at (845) 431-8692.