Nov. 17, 2003

CONTACT: Gordon Ovenshine (724) 738-4854;  e-mail: gordon.ovenshine@sru.edu

SRU LAUNCHES STOP-SMOKING CAMPAIGN TIMED TO GREAT AMERICAN SMOKEOUT

           SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – As the nation gears up for the Great American Smokeout on Thursday [Nov. 20], Slippery Rock University has launched a major smoking cessation campaign that will continue for seven months. Components include stop-smoking kits, awareness events and an education shelter.

     Student volunteers will staff a “smokers education shelter” near Bailey Library. T-shirts, fliers, chalk signs and posters complete the campaign, which also applies to smokeless tobacco.

     The College of Health, Environment and Science teamed with the McLachlan Student Health Center to reach:

•          Students moving through the University Union on their way to events and activities;

•          Students smoking on campus or standing with smokers;

•          Athletes using training areas and trainers who work with them;

•          Smokers congregating in areas outside buildings.

“Our goal it to map out a method for quitting once and for all,” Dr. Jane Fulton, dean of the college. “It’s not enough to stop for one day. We must provide information on wellness, exercise and other factors so that students can make healthy lifestyle choices. Slippery Rock University is renowned for health and wellness education, so this is a natural fit.”

     The American Cancer Society holds the Great American Smokeout every year to help smokers quit cigarettes for at least one day, in hopes they will quit forever. More people quit smoking on this day than any other day of the year, according to the agency’s Web site.

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