Issue date: 11/20/09 Section: News

Lisa Carlson, a sophomore elementary education major, signs a petition to make Eastern a smoke-free campus at the booth for The Great American Smokeout on the South Quad. The booth gave out a "quit kit" with the words "It's Time to Kick Ash" posted on the kit to students. (Jordan Boner/The Daily Eastern News)

The Health Education Resource Center provided students the opportunity to give their lungs a rest at its Great American Smokeout. 

Students, faculty and staff received information on being tobacco free and were given free quit kits and hot chocolate. Brad Tribble, alcohol and tobacco education coordinator, was on the South Quad to help encourage those around to take part.

"This program is to encourage people to quit smoking for one day, thinking that if you make it through one day that will lead to two days. It's kind of like a snowball effect," Tribble said. 

While several students and faculty members walked past and observed the event, building services worker Von Planket gave his reason on why he stopped smoking. 

"When I began my journey to stop smoking, I just went cold turkey," Planket said. "One of the main reasons why I stopped smoking was I got tired of trying to hide my habit from my daughter."

The 2008 smoking survey on campus reported 20 percent of Eastern students smoke. While some smokers don't think that the smokeout would be beneficial, non-smokers, such as Justin Washington, a communications studies major, had a different opinion. 

"I think the smokeout is a pretty good idea because I have been around smokers for a pretty long time," Washington said. "I do think that it will benefit the campus to go smoke-free, but the smokers would be the only one who would really take notice." 

Washington said he does feel that Eastern, in the long run, would be gaining more rather than losing. Tribble handed out his "quit kits" to those willing to at least try and quit smoking. 

"So far we have handed out over a dozen quit kit, so there is at least a dozen people out there, willing to quit smoking," Tribble said. "The kit includes a great variety of things, such as gum, suckers, rubber bands, toothpicks, stress ball and an information packet with steps to stop smoking." 

A petition to request a smoke-free campus was also available for people to sign. With more than three dozen signatures, Tribble felt that he got through to some people.

"It's up to the people to want to quit," Tribble said. "If you don't want to quit, then you won't. Sometimes all it takes is just one person to persuade someone else. Then that person goes and persuades another person."

If students want to quit smoking, they can contact the Health Education Resource Center he said. 

Jennifer Meyers can be reached at 581-7942 or DENnewsdesk@gmail.com.

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