Universitas Indonesia (UI) has officially strengthened its institutional commitment to public health by expanding its Smoke-Free Area (Kawasan Tanpa Rokok – KTR) regulations to comprehensively ban electronic cigarettes and vaping devices across all university grounds. Formally enacted through Rector Regulation Number 40 of 2026, this policy represents a significant evolution in campus governance, moving beyond traditional smoking prohibitions to address modern tobacco and nicotine consumption trends. Signed into effect by UI Rector Prof. Dr. Ir. Heri Hermansyah, ST, MEng, IPU, on November 9, 2026, the updated framework modernizes the institution’s longstanding health policies to align with contemporary national health legislation, including Health Law Number 17 of 2023 and Government Regulation Number 28 of 2024. By eliminating gray areas that previously allowed for the use of alternative nicotine delivery systems under the assumption that they were safer or fundamentally different from conventional cigarettes, UI has established a zero-tolerance policy for all forms of smoking and vaping within its academic environment.
The newly implemented regulation fundamentally redefines the scope of prohibited substances on campus. Under previous guidelines established in 2011 via Rector Decree Number 1805/SK/R/UI/2011, campus restrictions primarily focused on conventional cigarettes, cigars, and pipe tobacco. However, the 2026 regulatory update explicitly broadens this definition to encompass shisha, electronic cigarettes, vapes, heated tobacco products, and any other devices or items containing nicotine and/or tar. This expansion effectively closes loopholes utilized by campus members who previously argued that alternative nicotine products fell outside the purview of traditional smoking bans. The administration’s stance is unequivocal: regardless of whether a product produces traditional smoke or flavored aerosolized vapor, its consumption is strictly prohibited across all university zones.
Geographically, the restriction applies universally across every square meter of UI’s sprawling campuses in Depok and Salemba. The ban covers high-traffic academic buildings, lecture halls, laboratories, libraries, administrative offices, and construction sites. It extends to all healthcare facilities operated by the university, including the University of Indonesia Hospital (RSUI) and the Makara Satelit Clinic. Furthermore, spiritual spaces such as the UI Mosque and faculty prayer rooms, as well as public gathering areas like the Balairung, student centers, cafeterias, and parklands, are fully incorporated into the smoke-free zone. Transportation networks operating within the campus boundaries—ranging from the iconic yellow campus buses (Bokong) and electric bicycles to campus-affiliated and ride-hailing motorcycles—are similarly designated as smoke-free and vape-free environments. Outdoor recreational spaces, including sports stadiums, athletic fields, lakeside promenades, urban forests, pedestrian sidewalks, and internal roadways, are bound by the same stringent rules.
The enforcement of Rector Regulation Number 40 of 2026 applies universally to all individuals within the university’s jurisdiction. This includes undergraduate and graduate students, academic faculty, administrative staff, university partners, third-party vendors, contractors, and casual visitors. Within these designated zones, individuals are strictly prohibited from smoking, consuming, producing, advertising, promoting, selling, or purchasing any conventional or electronic tobacco products. The comprehensive nature of the ban underscores the institution’s goal to eradicate the visibility and normalization of smoking and vaping behaviors among the younger demographic that populates the university environment.
Addressing the Evolution of Campus Health Policy
The journey toward a completely smoke-free and vape-free Universitas Indonesia has evolved over a decade and a half. In 2011, UI took its first major step by introducing institutional regulations aimed at curbing public smoking through the aforementioned Rector Decree. While that policy successfully reduced open cigarette consumption in many classrooms and offices, the rapid proliferation of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) in the mid-2010s and 2020s created new challenges for university administrators. Vaping, often marketed deceptively as a harmless alternative to cigarette smoking, gained significant traction among university students, driven by sleek device designs, appealing fruit and dessert flavor profiles, and aggressive digital marketing campaigns.
Recognizing the emerging public health crisis posed by rising youth vaping rates, public health experts, university health boards, and student welfare organizations increasingly lobbied for regulatory updates. The legal foundation for these institutional changes was reinforced at the national level with the passage of Health Law Number 17 of 2023, which granted academic institutions broader powers to regulate public health standards, followed by Government Regulation Number 28 of 2024, which placed stricter controls on the distribution and consumption of both conventional and electronic tobacco products. Capitalizing on these national benchmarks, UI drafted and finalized Rector Regulation Number 40 of 2026 to ensure its internal policies remained legally robust and responsive to current epidemiological data regarding nicotine addiction among young adults.
The official rationale behind the updated policy was detailed by Rector Heri Hermansyah during the announcement of the regulation. "Campus is a space for learning, growth, and shared community. Everyone at UI has the right to breathe healthy and clean air, and that protection must apply comprehensively, including protection from the aerosol of electronic cigarettes. This policy is not merely about prohibitions, but rather a manifestation of UI’s dedication to nurturing a healthy and intelligent young generation," stated Prof. Heri. By framing the policy around the collective right to a clean environment, the university administration has shifted the discourse from punitive restriction to proactive student wellness and institutional responsibility.
Institutional Objectives and Public Health Implications
The implementation of the expanded Smoke-Free Area policy serves multiple strategic objectives aimed at enhancing the overall quality of campus life. Primarily, UI aims to drastically improve indoor and ambient air quality across its facilities, mitigating the health hazards associated with second-hand and third-hand exposure to tobacco smoke and aerosolized nicotine byproducts. Medical literature consistently demonstrates that electronic cigarette emissions contain volatile organic compounds, heavy metals such as nickel, tin, and lead, and ultrafine particulates that can penetrate deep into the lungs, posing serious cardiovascular and respiratory risks.
Beyond environmental health, the university seeks to curb the initiation of smoking and vaping habits among first-time users. University environments often act as social testing grounds where young adults experiment with addictive substances. By removing the visual cues of vaping from public spaces, classrooms, and social hubs, UI hopes to de-normalize the habit and reduce peer pressure. Additional objectives include increasing overall workforce and student productivity, elevating the standard of campus services, reducing fire hazards caused by improperly discarded smoking materials or overheating lithium-ion vape batteries, and steadily decreasing the aggregate number of active smokers and vapers within the university populace.
Rejection of Tobacco Industry Sponsorships and Financial Entanglements
In tandem with consumption bans, Universitas Indonesia has taken a firm ethical stance regarding financial relationships with the tobacco and vape industries. Under the new regulatory framework, UI explicitly prohibits the acceptance of sponsorships, grants, scholarships, research funding, or institutional partnerships from tobacco companies, electronic cigarette manufacturers, or any corporate entities whose brand image is closely linked to tobacco and nicotine products. This prohibition applies to all university-affiliated activities, whether initiated by student organizations, academic departments, research centers, or individual educators and administrative staff.
This measure aligns UI with global public health standards advocated by organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which urges educational institutions to insulate themselves from corporate interference by the tobacco industry. By cutting off avenues for corporate social responsibility (CSR) whitewashing and marketing infiltration on campus, the university ensures that its educational mission remains independent and untainted by commercial interests that profit from addiction. Furthermore, event organizers hosting conferences, seminars, or student festivals within the university are legally mandated to actively inform all participants, guest speakers, and external visitors of the comprehensive Smoke-Free Area policies prior to the commencement of any event.
Enforcement Mechanisms, Support Systems, and Penalties
To ensure compliance without relying solely on punitive measures, Rector Regulation Number 40 of 2026 establishes a balanced framework combining educational rehabilitation, community vigilance, and progressive disciplinary actions. The university recognizes that nicotine addiction is a physiological dependence requiring medical and psychological support rather than mere reprimand. Consequently, the regulation provides structured access to smoking and vaping cessation counseling and rehabilitation services. Students and staff seeking to quit can utilize dedicated cessation clinics established within the University of Indonesia Hospital (RSUI), the Makara Satelit Clinic, and various faculty-level health facilities across the campus network.
Supervision and enforcement of the policy are decentralized to ensure comprehensive coverage. Unit leaders, department heads, and campus security personnel (Satpam) are tasked with monitoring compliance within their respective jurisdictions. However, the policy also empowers the broader academic community to participate in enforcement through community policing principles. Students, faculty members, and campus visitors are encouraged to remind individuals smoking or vaping in restricted zones to cease their actions politely, or alternatively, to report persistent violations directly to campus security officers.
For individuals who willfully violate the regulations, a progressive disciplinary system has been instituted. Initial infractions typically result in verbal warnings or formal written reprimands. However, continued non-compliance carries financial consequences, with violators facing administrative fines of up to IDR 500,000. For enrolled students and university employees, persistent breaches that violate the institutional code of ethics and conduct can trigger formal internal disciplinary hearings. In cases where violations intersect with broader legal infractions or institutional misconduct, matters are referred to university ethics boards for further administrative action, ensuring accountability at all levels of the campus community.
Broad Social Impact and Community Reception
The rollout of UI’s expanded anti-vaping policy has generated widespread discussion across academic circles and digital platforms, reflecting broader societal debates regarding the regulation of alternative tobacco products in Indonesia. As one of the nation’s premier institutions of higher education, Universitas Indonesia’s policy decisions frequently serve as a benchmark for other universities and public institutions across the archipelago. Public health advocates have broadly praised the move, noting that comprehensive bans which explicitly target electronic cigarettes are essential for countering aggressive industry marketing targeting Gen Z and millennial demographics.
Student response, while varied, has largely trended toward institutional compliance, supported by extensive informational campaigns led by student executive boards and university communications teams. While social media discussions highlighted initial resistance from habitual vape users accustomed to the relative social permissiveness surrounding electronic smoking devices, the clarity of the new regulation—leaving no room for the excuse that "it’s just vapor"—has helped clarify expectations. By coupling strict financial penalties and a ban on tobacco industry funding with accessible cessation medical services, Universitas Indonesia has positioned its policy not merely as a restriction of personal freedom, but as a holistic public health initiative designed to safeguard the wellbeing, academic focus, and future vitality of its entire academic community.
