Great American Smokeout encourages students to quit smoking

The Great American Smokeout had a bit of a damper this year, as the University Health Center's tobacco cessation program could soon be stubbed out due to budget difficulties.

Hundreds of yellow flags lined Hornbake Plaza yesterday and smokers who tossed their cigarette into a large bucket were offered gift cards and coupons for different restaurants.

The core goal of the event was to convince student smokers to sign up for the tobacco cessation program, which has been struggling to provide students with services since Prince George's County stopped funding it this year.

"Now all we can provide is the counseling service in small amounts," program counselor Edie Anderson said. She tracks the program's success through the number of appointments she makes. "We can't provide the [nicotine] products."

The Great American Smokeout is an annual national program sponsored by the American Cancer Society to help people quit smoking. The event at this university is sponsored by the Colleges Against Cancer and Relay for Life.

Despite setbacks, some student smokers felt the event's success depends on students' attitudes.

"I think the [program] could be helpful, but I think for smokers they have to really decide if they wanna give it up," junior finance major Seth Bergen said, who threw his cigarette into the bucket.

"I think it's effective for someone that's willing to quit," junior economics major Jai Lad added. "Otherwise, they'll avoid it like the plague."

Anti-smoking advocates hope the resources offered through the event will help student smokers seriously consider quitting.

"Our event has so many resources and inspirational material for smokers, I hope that it will be effective in encouraging them to quit, and quit for good," senior and event coordinator Brooke Warrington said.

"The most important part, in my view, is educating smokers about the resources that are provided by the university at no cost," freshman government and politics and economics major Zach Cohen said, whose proposed bill to increase the smoking radius around buildings from 15 to 25 feet failed at the Student Government Association meeting Wednesday night. 

Some student smokers, however, felt that the event's efforts would be futile.

"Turning in your cigarettes — that's not gonna work," said senior psychology major Alex Cronin, who has been smoking for three years. "If you turn in your cigarettes, you're gonna stop for a while and go buy another pack."

In the end, however, the event was largely applauded by smokers and non-smokers alike.

"It's a good program, I'm eventually going to quit," sophomore electrical engineering major Jeremy Hart said. "I don't wanna get hooked on cigarettes the rest of my life, that would suck."

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