Smoking on campus premises now prohibited by law
At Tilburg University, smoking on campus has been prohibited since August 2019. This smoking ban at Dutch research universities as well as universities of applied sciences has become law nationwide, effective August 1, 2020. As a result, institutions infringing the smoking ban can now be fined.
#HealthyCampus
Tilburg University is a frontrunner
The rules on our campus remain unchanged, given the fact that it has been prohibited to smoke on our campus premises from the start of the 2019-2020 academic year. Why did we choose to be frontrunners? Because it ties in with one of the spearheads of Tilburg University’s strategy: ‘Enhancing health & wellbeing’. The University feels responsible for its students and staff, so it introduced a smoke-free campus last year.
Why a national ban?
The Dutch government wants to discourage smoking to protect public health, in particular the health of young people. The younger people are when they start smoking, the more addictive smoking is and the harder it is to kick the habit. Smoking must not be perceived as ‘normal’ and we must try to work towards a smoke-free generation. One way to achieve this is by preventing that young people come into contact with smoking in an environment where they spend a lot of time. Therefore no zones will be created where smoking is allowed. Seeing someone smoke can be a trigger so it is important not to make any exceptions.
In order to achieve the best possible result, the following is important.
- Indicating that a smoking ban applies.
- Indicating where the smoking ban applies.
- Enforcing the smoking ban on the campus premises.
Campus boundaries
Tilburg University has installed no smoking signs and pavement tiles near pedestrian access routes to the campus and in parking lots, indicating that the campus is smoke-free. Banners will be placed near the main entrance of every building to serve as reminders. The beauty of our campus is its green and open character, so it is not fenced in to show where the campus begins and ends. The map shows the campus premises; its boundaries are marked with red lines. This map also shows that the large parking lots are part of the campus premises.
Compliance
Our stewards (wearing blue vests) and security staff will monitor compliance with the smoking ban on campus. The national ban requires stricter enforcement, also because, from August 1, 2020, Tilburg University can be fined in the event of non-compliance. We therefore also request our colleagues and students to help keep our campus smoke-free, by approaching colleagues and fellow students if they smoke on the campus premises.