De Anza College police started officially giving tickets to smokers outside of designated areas on campus beginning Jan. 10.  First offense is $25, second offense is $50 and subsequent offenses will be $75.
If offenders don’t pay fines within 90 days, their student record will be on hold. Grades will not be given and DASB services will be unavailable to that student
until fines are paid, said officier Joe Mauss.
“The only time suspension can occur earlier is if the check bounces,” Mauss said. “So, don’t do it.”
The smoking fine profits are distributed 70 percent to district police and 30 percent to Student
Health Service’s stop-smoking programs.
“I like the designated areas for smoking. I meet different smokers and it keeps the campus clean,” said Qualicia Johnson, 19, a part-time student.
Thirty-seven De Anza students gave up smoking by tossing away their cigarette packs and joining a program called tobacco cessation program during The Great American Smoke Out event offered by Health Services on Nov. 15, 2012.
“If they want to quit smoking, we are here to help them,” said Mary Sullivan, De Anza’s director of health education.  
The tobacco cessation program also gives free supplies of nicotine patches, nicotine replacement therapy, one-on-one tobacco cessation counseling and additional psychological counseling upon request with a licensed therapist.
Students are also given quick fix kits including lollipops, rubber bands, straws and gum as distractions.
“I feel like smoking is increasing amongst the young people… even with the harmful effects that are well-known and well-documented,” said Poncho Hodge, 41, a full-time business major. “It’s a personal freedom issue that young people may be taking advantage of.”