Effective Aug. 1, 2010, smoking on any state-supported institution of higher education in Arkansas, including UALR, is in violation of Arkansas law, the Clean Air on Campus Act of 2009.

The Arkansas General Assembly passed the act last year to protect students, employees, and visitors from second-hand smoke exposure on public college and university campuses. The penalty for violating the law is a fine not less than $100 or greater than $500.

The law prohibits smoking tobacco or “other lighted combustible plant material” anywhere on campus, including buildings, grounds, and parking lots.

For clarification at UALR, smoking is prohibited on any part of the campus locations and is in violation of the law. This includes University Plaza and the Benton and Bowen Law School campuses.

For tobacco smokers interested in kicking the habit, UALR’s Health Services’ smoking cessation program is available to students, faculty, and staff. The health staff provides individualized assessments, treatment plans, and support for those individuals seeking assistance. An overwhelming number of the people who have completed the program have successfully quit.

For more information, call 569-3188 or go to ualr.edu/smokefree.

UALR enacted its own Smoke-Free Campus Policy last fall, which reads:

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock is a smoke-free campus. This policy applies to all locations of the University, including the main campus, the William H. Bowen School of Law, and the UALR Benton Center. All individuals are expected to comply with this policy. Persons who fail to comply are subject to disciplinary action. (Chancellor’s Office, 8/16/09)