BOONE—The Appalachian State University campus is on its way to becoming a “tobacco smart” campus with implementation of smoking restrictions and activities to help smokers quit.

In conjunction with support from a grant from Health and Wellness Trust Fund of North Carolina, the university’s Institute of Health and Human Services is implementing a tobacco use prevention and education campaign beginning the week of Sept. 22

Project Manager Kim Carter is helping organize the activities, working on ways to promote the university’s smoking policy and provide information about smoking cessation services offered by the university for faculty, students and staff and Quitline NC (1-800-QUIT-NOW).

“Research shows that smoking continues to rise in the 18-24 age group,” Carter said. “This is the right age to target.”

During the week of Sept. 22, student volunteers will educate student smokers and others of the dangers of second-hand smoke and the environmental impacts of smoking. “If people choose to smoke, we will remind them to stand away from buildings and not to litter campus with cigarette butts,” Carter said. “Our students are environmentally conscious and even if they do smoke, they don’t want to see litter all over the ground.”

A campus-wide clean-up will be held Sept. 22, during which time volunteers will pick up cigarette butts that have been discarded on campus.

Reena Roberts from the TRU television commercials Survivors and Victims for Tobacco Empowerment will talk about the dangers of tobacco use Sept. 24 at 4 p.m. in Plemmons Student Union’s Table Rock Room. Roberts grew up in a family of smokers and smoked from age 13 to 19. She lost her voice box to cancer at age 21.

Contact tables will be on Sanford Mall Sept. 25 to provide the campus community with information about the various aspects of tobacco, from health and litter to agriculture and human rights of workers on tobacco farms. Information also will be available for students and others who are choosing Sept. 25 as the day they will quit smoking.

Tables with information about the university’s smoking policy will be located at Kidd Brewer Stadium at all home football games.

Appalachian adopted a 50-foot smoke-free perimeter around all campus buildings in January. Signs have been placed near campus entrances and on campus grounds to remind individuals of the policy.

“I have been excited at how positively the new policy has been received by students,” Carter said. “Students in North Carolina are coming to Appalachian from tobacco-free public school campuses. They have really been receptive to the university’s initiative and want to get involved in this project.”

For more information about support in quitting smoking, visit the Institute for Health and Human Services Web site at http://www.ihhs.appstate.edu/ and click on “Tobacco Cessation/Prevention Resources.”

###