OSU pushes to ban smoking on campus

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Ohio State University's president wants to ban smoking and other tobacco use throughout the campus.

That move would make the school the largest university in the state to go tobacco-free.

In an e-mail sent to students and faculty on Friday morning, university President E. Gordon Gee said the school plans to propose a tobacco-free campus to trustees in April and get the ban in place by Aug. 1.

The Columbus Dispatch reports that Gee says health is at the heart of the initiative.

Last July, the Ohio Board of Regents voted to urge the state's public colleges to ban smoking to set a good example.

Statewide, 15 public and private colleges and universities have policies against smoking. Seven more are considering it.