Among the new Illinois laws taking effect tomorrow is one aimed at improving air quality and people's health.
Effective Wednesday, smoking anywhere on public university campuses in Illinois will be prohibited.
The Smoke-Free Campus Act prohibits smoking in all areas of campus, including all buildings and facilities on the main campus, open spaces, stadiums and parking lots. Smoking inside private vehicles passing through campus is the only exception to this policy.
The act prohibits using and/or carrying any kind of pipe, cigar, cigarette, hookah or electronic cigarette, among other things.
According to NIU Spokesman Paul Palian, the campus community will collectively share the responsibility of enforcing the policy.
“We’ve got classmates, friends, colleagues, visitors that may not be aware of the policy, so we all have a role in helping people comply,” Palian said.
Derryl Block, chair of NIU’s Smoke-Free Campus task force, said the campus community had mixed reactions to the act. But he says some people thought this would help them quit smoking.
“We’re hoping that this policy really leads to a culture change and for people to reduce their own personal amount of smoking and in general reduce the prevalence of smoking,” Block said.
The Smoke Free College Campus Act will make Illinois the third state to establish such a law. More than 1,500 other colleges and universities across the country have gone smoke-free.
- WUIS's Brittanie Brooks contributed to this report.