Ohio University Southern is now one of the hundreds of universities and colleges that are trying to clear the air — of cigarette smoke, that is.

This fall, the campuses of OUS will be tobacco-free. So far more than 1,500 campuses across the country are smoke-free, while more than 1,000 are completely tobacco-free. Some even ban the use of e-cigarettes.

This is great news for students and visitors of the campus who want a clean and healthy environment in which to learn. Nothing is appealing about spending the morning or afternoon in a class, only to exit the building into a cloud of smoke.

Preventing smoking and other tobacco use will keep the grounds of the campus much cleaner as well.

It is no secret that tobacco use is higher in the Tri-State than anywhere in the county, a record held since 2008. And that’s no record to be proud of. Tobacco use is the leading cause of premature and preventable death, responsible for 480,000 deaths a year in the United States.

If preventing smoking on college campuses helps even a little in the fight against tobacco-related illness and death, the new regulation is a successful one.

Kudos to OUS for making the campus a healthier place to learn.