Smoking will be banned in all Wittenberg University residence halls beginning with the 2000-2001 academic year following action by the student-run Residence Hall Association (RHA).

A committee of RHA, chaired by sophomore Melanie Ziarko of Hiram, Ohio, cited several benefits from the ban, including improving health and safety.

The RHA report cited the American Lung Association, which estimates that smoking-related illnesses claim 430,070 lives each year, including those affected by second-hand smoke.

“On the whole, prohibiting smoking within residence halls will promote campus-wide physical wellness,” the report said.

Wittenberg’s administrative and academic buildings have been smoke-free since 1991. Until now, smoking has been banned in common areas of residence halls but not in individual rooms.

According to Ziarko the issue of banning smoking from residence hall rooms has been on the table for several years but that the impetus for taking action this year came from Debbie Heida, vice president for student development, and Edwin Mayes, assistant dean of students.

“From a health standpoint this is a benefit to the entire campus community,” Ziarko said. Mayes said two of the university’s eight halls are already designated as smoke-free: Myers and Woodlawn, which is a substance-free dormitory.

Although accurate statistics are not readily available, Mayes said that his informal survey of colleges and universities across the nation revealed that only a small percentage are currently completely smoke-free.