10/17/14
Ty Patterson, director of the national Center for Tobacco Policy, Springfield, Mo., will be on the Fort Hays State University campus on Monday, Oct. 21, and Tuesday, Oct. 22, to work with the university's Tobacco Policy Task Force.

Patterson will meet with several university groups to gather information on a new policy for tobacco on campus. Smoking is currently prohibited except for designated parking lots on campus. The new policy will also address e-tobacco use.

"Ty's expertise lies in visiting with the campus and seeing what the culture is," said Dr. Steven Sedbrook, associate professor of health and human performance and co-chair of the task force. Wendy Rohleder-Sook, assistant director of student financial assistance, is the other co-chair.

"Or job is to study the tobacco culture at Fort Hays State and see how it would affect policy change and educate the Fort Hays State community in regard to tobacco policy," he said. "This is a fact-finding mission to gather information and thoughts and feelings about tobacco here on campus."

Patterson served as a chief student affairs officer for 31 of the 38 years he worked in higher education, from 1972 to 2008. In 1997, the president of Ozarks Technical Community College asked Patterson to "look into getting all tobacco use off the campus." In 2003, Ozarks College became the first public higher education institution to implement a tobacco-free campus policy.

According to Patterson's biography, over the past decade, through campus visits to more than 80 higher education institutions and through workshops, seminars and other presentations, Patterson has shared his "unique approach to making such policies work with thousands of administrators, faculty, staff, students, health policy advocates, tobacco specialists and others."

The National Center for Tobacco Policy has been contracted to help FHSU consider what its tobacco policy should be and how to make the policy work.

"We have a very representative task force tasked to gather input, and that is what Ty is here to do -- find out what the people at Fort Hays State want to do," said Sedbrook "We are trying to gather information from all constituencies across campus."

Patterson's schedule is listed by time, the group with which he will be meeting and the location.

Monday, Oct. 20
-- 8:30-9 a.m., Unclassified professional staff and University Support Staff, Memorial Union, Black and Gold Room.
-- 10-11:00 a.m., administrators, Sheridan Hall.
-- 11:30 a.m.-noon, athletics personnel, Tiger Room, Cunningham Hall.
-- 1:15-1:45 p.m., Residential Life, McMindes Hall, room 2R.
-- 2:45-3:15 p.m., administrative support staff, Memorial Union, Black and Gold Room.
-- 3:30-4 p.m., Physical Plant staff, Memorial Union, Black and Gold Room.
-- 4:15-4:45 p.m., custodial staff, Memorial Union, Black and Gold Room.

Tuesday, Oct. 21
-- 8-8:30 a.m., Physical Plant staff, Memorial Union, Trails Room.
-- 8:45-9:15 a.m., administrative support staff, Memorial Union, Trails Room.
-- 9:30-10 a.m., custodial staff, Memorial Union, Trails Room.
-- 10:30-11:30 a.m., Tobacco Policy Task Force, Memorial Union, Pioneer Room.
-- 12:30-1 p.m., faculty, Memorial Union, Trails Room.
-- 1:15-1:45 p.m., Student Government Association, Memorial Union, Trails Room.
-- 2-2:30 p.m., unclassified professional staff and University Support Staff, Memorial Union, Trails Room.
-- 3-3:30 p.m., University Police Department, Custer Hall, room 124.
-- 4-4:30 p.m., faculty, Memorial Union, Trails Room.