As of Friday, July 1, 2016, all 4 of Johnson & Wales’ campuses are officially tobacco free. Faculty, staff and students assembled on the lawn in front of the Yena Center on JWU’s Providence campus to celebrate becoming the first university in Rhode Island to become tobacco free. JWU joins approximately 1,100 other colleges and universities across the country.
Attendees heard from Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students Ron Martel, JWU Providence Campus President Mim Runey, Rhode Island Department of Health Director Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, and Edyn Zapata, JWU Providence’s Student Government Association secretary.
“This is a historic and memorable day for JWU as we celebrate the first day of being tobacco free,” Martel said.
Instituting a tobacco-free policy across all of JWU’s campuses didn’t just happen overnight. This undertaking first began 3 years ago when President Runey put a concerned student in touch with the university’s student affairs office and things began taking off from there.