We are committed to the health and well-being of our students, faculty and staff at WVU. That's why all campuses across the WVU System became tobacco- and smoke-free last year.
BOG Finance and Administration Rule 5.6 – Tobacco- and Smoke-Free Campus prohibits tobacco use and smoking in any form (including e-cigarettes and vapor products) on University property. The rule applies to the Morgantown campus and WVU’s divisional campuses (WVU Institute of Technology and WVU Potomac State College).
The risks associated with smoking, vaping and tobacco use are widely known and well-publicized. However, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization have indicated smokers are at a higher risk for severe illness if they contract the disease. Smoking and vaping can:
Make it harder for someone’s lungs to fight COVID-19.
Harm an individual’s immune system.
Make people more vulnerable to severe symptoms of COVID-19.
The WVU School of Medicine also is conducting its own research on the ways smoking, vaping and having a chronic lung condition influence how COVID-19 patients fare.
To support students, faculty and staff who wish to quit smoking, vaping or using smokeless tobacco, WVU and its partners offer several wellness programs and cessation resources. And the University encourages all members of our campus community to take advantage of these resources.
WVU seeks voluntary compliance for the tobacco- and smoke-free campus rule. However, the University also has established several methods of enforcement as permitted by law and in accordance with University policy for students, faculty, staff, vendors and visitors who violate the rule.
Enforcement will be fair and consistent, and non-compliance will be addressed in accordance with existing or forthcoming rules, policies and procedures.
A compliance officer will continue to monitor WVU’s Morgantown campus. Further, all students, faculty and staff can report violations via the Tobacco- and Smoke-Free Campus website. Submissions will be handled with anonymity and used to identify locations on our campuses where the rule is violated.
Thank you for doing your part to promote a healthier WVU by keeping our campuses tobacco- and smoke-free.
Visit tobaccoandsmokefree.wvu.edu for more information and to view FAQs on the tobacco- and smoke-free campus rule. Contact TobaccoSmokeFreeTaskForce@mail.wvu.edu with any questions.