Going Strong...

The campaign is beginning to spark an abundance of publicity, and I would not have it any other way. Just yesterday, I did two interviews for separate stories for the Collegio that will be out this Thursday. In addition, the Great American Smokout is tomorrow in the oval beginning at 12:30. Gorillas in Your Mist have been putting together a fabulous set of features for tomorrow's event that include Quit Kits to help students quit smoking as well as Via Christi Hospital will be there to support our cause. As some of you may know, Via Christi recently made the decision to ban tobacco use anywhere on their property as part of the state law barring tobacco use in any public place.

I hope everyone will come out and celebrate tomorrow in the oval, regardless of your views on a tobacco free campus. More than to commemorate our cause, the Great American Smokeout is about prolonging life and creating awareness of the real harms of tobacco use and not just on the user, but on those around that have made the conscious choice to not be a tobacco user.

To conclude, I want to take this time to announce a survey Student Government is conducting on student's view of tobacco use on campus. The survey can accessed via your GUS account. Just scroll down to the ballots and surveys and link and from there you can access the survey. We would greatly appreciate all the feedback possible in order to better understand not only how students feel about the issue, but also IF students are aware of the campaign to go tobacco free. All in all, I believe we are going strong into the end of the semester and we plan to continue on into the spring with more outreach programs where students can come voice their opinion ask questions as well as a policy committee that's sole duty will be to author a fully comprehensive tobacco free policy that students will have a chance to vote on in April of 2012 in the Student Government Association elections. Until next time, breath easy all, and come out tomorrow at 12:30pm to celebrate the Great American Smokeout.....rumor as it there will be hotdogs....