CORVALLIS, OR (KPTV) -
Oregon State University is set to ban smoking on campus.
The new policy starts on Sept. 1.
At the start of the year, 648 colleges and universities had prohibited smoking or tobacco use on campus.
OSU administrators said studies conducted over the last several years found that a majority of students supported a smoke-free campus.
An American College Health Association study in 2010 reported that 70 percent of all OSU students said they had never smoked a cigarette.
Only 2.6 percent said they smoked every day.
The new policy will be enforced by the department of public safety.
Administrators said the goal will be to educate anyone who violates the policy. In egregious cases, students and staff can be held accountable under university rules.
There will be no designated smoking areas on campus, but smoking receptacles will be placed around the perimeter of campus.
The school will host a public forum at 6 p.m. Aug. 15 at the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library to address any questions about the policy.
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