Smoking Policy

St. John’s College recognizes its leadership role in promoting a healthy and safe environment for all members of the community and acknowledges and supports the medical findings that active or passive use of tobacco, as well as the ingredients and chemicals commonly found in tobacco products, are a significant health hazards. Considering these risks, and in conjunction with the applicable state and local regulations, St. John’s College has set forth the following Campus Smoking Policy.

Section I. Definitions:

  1. Electronic Smoking Device is defined as any product containing or delivering nicotine or any other substance that can be used by a person in any manner for the purpose of inhaling vapor or aerosol from the product. The term includes any such device, whether manufactured, distributed, marketed, or sold as an e-cigarette, e-cigar, e-pipe, e-hookah, or vape pen, or under any other product name or descriptor.
  2. Hookah is defined as a water pipe and any associated products and devices which are used to produce fumes, smoke, and/or vapor from the burning of material including, but not limited to, tobacco, shisha, or other plant matter.
  3. Smoking is defined as the act of lighting, smoking, or carrying a lighted or smoldering cigar, cigarette, or pipe of any kind, including those outlined as Electronic Smoking Devices herein.
  4. Tobacco Product is defined as any substance containing tobacco leaf, including but not limited to, cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, hookah tobacco, snuff, chewing tobacco, dipping tobacco, bidis, blunts, clove cigarettes, or any other preparation of tobacco; and any product or formulation of matter containing biologically active amounts of nicotine that is manufactured, sold, offered for sale, or otherwise distributed with the expectation that the product or matter will be introduced into the human body by inhalation.

Section II. Application:

This Policy applies to all college faculty, staff, students, agents and contractors and all visitors, vendors and guests of the college.

Section III. Prohibition:

The smoking or use of any tobacco and nicotine product (including but not limited to the use of e-cigarettes, JUULs or other vaping devices) is prohibited:

  1. On and in all college property including college owned or leased residential facilities, academic buildings, administrative and other buildings, sidewalks, parking lots, landscaped areas and recreational areas with the exception of the four designated areas where smoking and use of tobacco and nicotine products is permitted

    • On the grassy area between the gym parking lot and the tennis courts;
    • On the grassy area between the Hodson House parking lot and the BBC;
    • On the grassy area immediately outside of the exit doors of Mellon next to the pendulum pit; and
    • Behind the physical plant building.
  2. At all lectures, conferences, meetings and social, athletic and cultural events held at the college, including Croquet, and regardless of who the hosting organization or department is.
  3. In all college owned or leased vehicles.

All tobacco and nicotine products must be extinguished and properly disposed of prior to entering any college property. The sale or free distribution or sampling of any tobacco and nicotine products are prohibited in and on all college property and at all college-sponsored events.

Cannabis or other THC containing products of any type are prohibited.

Products approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for smoking cessation (i.e. nicotine patches, etc.) are not considered prohibited tobacco or nicotine products under this Policy. Note that e-cigarettes, Juuls and other vaping devices have not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as smoking cessation products and, thus, are prohibited.

Section IV. Enforcement:

This Policy shall be included in the student, staff and faculty handbooks, new employee and student orientation programs and other campus documents where appropriate. The college shall post notices of this Policy in an effort to ensure that all the college’s visitors, vendors and guests are aware of the Policy.

Students who are found to be smoking outside of the designed smoking locations included above face the following sanctions:

Type of Violation Response
First Offense Email Warning and $50 fine
Second Offense Required Meeting, $100 fine
Third Offense Required Meeting, $150 fine
Any subsequent offense or an offense that occurs inside of a building Required Meeting, $200 fine. possible Community Standards process.

Employees who are found to be smoking outside of the designated smoking locations included above will be referred to the Director of Human Resources. Repeated failure to comply with this Policy could result in separation from the college.

It is the responsibility of all members of the college community to establish and maintain a smoke-free/tobacco-free/nicotine-free campus environment. Each community member is responsible for monitoring compliance with this Policy and working to support others in complying with this Policy.

Cessation: Students, staff and faculty who want to stop using tobacco and nicotine products are encouraged to review the following information and resources:

Last reviewed Summer 2026