The policy at Southern Maine, which has 11,000 students on campuses in Gorham and Portland, will be one of the strictest in the nation. Next fall, smoking will be allowed only in designated smoking areas chosen by administrators.

Pamela Clay-Storm, a university nurse and former head of a task force that created the rules, said policy makers the past 15 years have focused on workplaces, restaurants and other places to restrict smoking.

College campuses, for the most part, were ignored until recently. But some question whether the new policies are fair or enforceable.