Tobacco-Free Yellow Jackets

We are not Anti-Smoker, we are just Pro-having a Healthy Yellow Jacket Nation

The Tobacco-Free Yellow Jackets have been part of the WVSU campus for over a decade!  First known as the Tobacco Prevention Initiative, which was founded by the Choices Peer Educators, then growing into it’s own independent organization the Tobacco-Free Yellow Jackets in 2011.  The TFYJ have always been a student led initiative consisting of students that are passionate about the health of the campus community, striving to educate, engage and motivate others to become tobacco-free.

In January of 2018 WVSU the Department of Health and Human Performance and the Tobacco-Free Yellow Jackets were awarded grant funding by the Truth Initiative organization for the WVSU Breathe Easy Initiative.  This opportunity has reignited the Tobacco-Free Yellow Jackets and is helping the organization to grow and again gain support across campus.

Check us out on Instagram! @WVSU_Breathe_Easy

The WVSU Breathe Easy program is the product of a recent grant awarded by the Truth Initiative organization. Our goals are to Assess, Educate and Engage our campus community on tobacco issues and tobacco advocacy as well as, Promote/Provide cessation services and develop a 100%Tobacco-Free campus Policy to support the health of our campus community.

We are not Anti-Smoker, we are just Pro- having a healthy Yellow Jacket Nation!  This means we are not here to pass judgement on tobacco users, we are here to provide quality information and support services.  No one wants to be lied to or duped!  We are here to show you the truth behind tobacco so that you can make an informed decision based in fact and not from tobacco marketing/campaigns.

Grant Funding Agent:
Truth Initiative® is America’s largest non-profit public health organization dedicated to making tobacco use a thing of the past. We speak, seek and spread the truth about tobacco through education, tobacco-control research and policy studies, community activism and engagement, and innovation in tobacco dependence treatment.

The Tobacco-Free Yellow Jackets have been around for many years attemping to promote a tobacco-free WVSU environment.  The WVSU Breathe Easy Initiative has taken up this mission and developed the Tobacco-Free Yellow Jackets Taskforce to address the development of a 100% tobacco-free campus policy.

• Our first task of “Assessing the Campus Community” was completed in September of 2018.  Please check back soon for the survey results!

If you are interested in becoming a member of the Tobacco-Free Yellow Jackets or a member of the TFYJ Taskforce (policy development, Events and Engagement) feel free to come to one of our meetings or contact our staff.  We would be happy to have you.  Everyones voice is important and should be heard!

Policy Development Updates will be posted here throughout the process!

Through the WVSU Breathe Easy Initiative we are able to offer the entire WVSU community FREE access to this comprehensive tobacco cessation program. EX Program participants receive digital coaching and medication support from tobacco treatment specialists at the Mayo Clinic Nicotine Dependence Center and Truth Initiative, along with proven quitting tools and an online community of thousands of smokers and ex-smokers. 

Statistics make clear why an innovative, advanced approach is needed:

• 68 percent of smokers want to quit.
• 55 percent of smokers make a quit attempt annually, yet only seven percent are successful.
• Each year a smoker costs an employer nearly $6,000 more than an employee who has never smoked.

“We developed the EX Program to fill a gap in the market,” said Robin Koval, CEO and President of Truth Initiative. “Tobacco use is a complex addiction that requires specialized treatment from a provider with deep expertise and experience. We aim to be that provider.”

“The EX Program eliminates virtually all of the barriers to effective treatment and provides ongoing support through the ups and downs of tobacco cessation,” said J. Taylor Hays, M.D., medical director of the Mayo Clinic Nicotine Dependence Center. “We are excited to build upon our relationship with Truth Initiative in this innovative program.”

 “With the EX Program, smokers can connect with experts and peers at any time, from any device, for as long as they need. Use of the EX community is an independent predictor of success, and 93 percent of members say they would recommend EX to other smokers who want to quit.”

Click Here to Join the Ex Program for FREE!

Click Here for Registration Instructions and Program Highlights!

Everyone in the Campus Community is Welcome! Students and All Employees!!