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This content was published: September 9, 2009. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.

PHOTOS: Staff, students volunteer to clean up PCC

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On Wednesday, Sept. 9, Vice President of Administrative Services Wing-Kit Chung (left) and Senior Systems Administrator Ben Le were one of dozens of volunteers who scoured the Sylvania Campus in Southwest Portland, picking up cigarette butts to kickoff Portland Community College going tobacco free.

Sylvia Welch, Director of Affirmative Action, tries her hand at a stretch of landscape at Sylvania. PCC is one of the largest public colleges in the nation to adopt a tobacco-free policy for all of its campuses and training centers.

Teresa Salinas also joined the crew to rid PCC of butts. The new policy is in effect on all campuses, training centers and locations, both indoors and out. The decision followed a lengthy survey of staff, faculty and students and was presented to the PCC Board, which weighed the responses and the college’s mission to provide a healthy and safe environment for the entire community and anyone who visits PCC.

Chris Chairsell, Vice President of Student and Academic Affairs, picks up some litter by the PCC Bookstore. The state of Oregon has been active in helping Oregonians to quit smoking. Statistics generated by the Tobacco Prevention and Education Program indicate that 80 percent of current adult smokers would like to quit smoking.

Resources for those who wish to quit, as well as links to the tobacco policy, can be found at www.pcc.edu/tobacco.free

About James Hill

James G. Hill, an award-winning journalist and public relations writer, is the Director of Public Relations at Portland Community College. A graduate of Portland State University, James has worked as a section editor for the Newberg Graphic... more »