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Ashton Shelby
Eagle ID: 900800745
NEWS RELEASE
PRCA 3330 Fully Online
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 14, 2016
Due: April 14, 2016








Media Release
MEDIA CONTACT
Jane Smith
Director of Public Relations
912-123-4567
JSmith@XYZagency.com

Georgia Southern Universitys Tobacco-Free Policy Forces Change in

Lifestyle for Smoking Student
Statesboro, Ga., April 14, 2016 The tobacco-free campus policy currently in place has
enabled lifestyle changes to now senior, Michelle Doval. She was an incessant smoker until
her junior year at GSU, when the policy was first put into effect. The policy that many
smoking students claimed would bring stress into their daily life on campus, has proven to
bring upon positive impacts instead.

Michelle Doval, Fashion Merchandising and Apparel Design major, spoke about how

she had her doubts when this policy was first put into effect at the beginning of her junior
year, but since has come to see that it was one of the best things to happen to her. She went
from smoking roughly half a pack a day to quitting all together.
The tobacco free policy bans all types of tobacco including smokeless tobacco
products. This is in hopes to prevent polluting the air around campus students, faculty and
staff, and visitors, along with keeping the campus clean.
The policy was voted on and then went into effect on August 1, 2014. Since the
policy was implemented it has resulted in a decrease of both smoking and smokers on
campus. This information has been obtained via online surveys as well as word-of-mouth
among peers and staff.

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Policy Changes Students Lifestyle- Page 2

This tobacco-free policy is one that should have been implemented years ago! I

cant believe the difference I have already began to see on campus as far as smokers go I
hope this continues to better the lives of everyone around! Rachel Kiliany, Health
Education Coordinator, said when asked if she has started to see any sort of changes among
the campus.
The policy applies to GSU campus within facilities and on the grounds; parking lots;
athletic venues; and some locations off campus such as The Coast Georgia Center and the
golf course.
The tobacco free policy was put into effect to achieve the specific outcome of
creating a health-supporting community for everyone involved. This was successfully done
by implementing signs around campus, friendly reminders within newsletters, and helpful
peers and staff reminding one another when necessary.
It was something that I thought was going to be very annoying and inconvenient,
but after about six months of having to compromise with the policy I decided it would be
better to just quit smoking all together, Doval said after being questioned about her
thoughts on the subject.
Creating this tobacco free policy has helped the lives of numerous students, such as
Michelle Doval, and there are high hopes that the policy continues to create positive
outcomes among the campus and its peers.
Making the campus tobacco free was done in hopes of everyone benefitting from it
and implementing healthier lifestyles among students and staff. This was not created to
irritate the community, but to encourage them to make better personal health decisions
while keeping campus clean at the same time. The policy has proven to be both successful

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Policy Changes Students Lifestyle- Page 3

and beneficial. For more information on GSU becoming tobacco free and the policy that
made it happen, check out this link to the GSU website
http://www.georgiasouthern.edu/tobaccofree/.

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