RPI wants to clear air -- of tobacco smoke

Thursday, March 25, 2010
By Scott Waldman
Times Union

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has kicked butts.

The school will become a tobacco-free campus on July 1. The school is working with the Capital District Tobacco-Free Coalition to formulate its campus-wide policy. It will join 360 U.S. colleges and universities as a smoke-free institution.

Research by the American Cancer Society shows that a significant percentage of college smokers begin to smoke regularly at or after age 19.

"We believe that by becoming a smoke-free institution, we will set an example that will encourage the Rensselaer community to embrace a spirit of healthy living, learning, and working," said William Walker, vice president for strategic communications and external relations in an e-mail to students.

Among the region's institutions of higher education, only Maria College is smoke-free.