UMass enacting campus-wide smoking ban on July 1

AMHERST, Mass. (WWLP) - UMass Amherst will soon be a smoke-free campus. Starting July 1, the university joins 1,129 campuses across the country that have smoking bans.

The Campus Leadership Council and the Faculty Senate approved the ban in 2011, which holds that smoking will not be allowed anywhere on campus; including parking lots and parked cars.

On Thursday, the council held one of five information sessions, which they hope will help the community understand and enforce the ban.

“We don't expect that any one person will be enforcing the policy,” Professor Wilmore Webley said. “What we expect is that every person in the community is making sure these policies are enforced; we are not having police officers.”

Aside from the informational sessions, the council plans to offer resources for those who want to quit smoking.