A group on campus will be helping students go cold turkey Thursday, but it may not be in the typical way.
The Student Wellness Connection will be offering “cold turkey sandwiches” Thursday at the Union tables to raise awareness for the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout.
The Great American Smokeout is a day dedicated to helping people quit smoking, and the Student Wellness Connection is trying to help students kick the habit.
The organization is going to be handing out resources like “quit kits” and cold turkey sandwiches from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Union, said Caroline Keller, president of the Student Wellness Connection.
“I would definitely say it’s education-based,” Keller said. “It’s about spreading the message of the American Cancer Society and the Great American Smokeout. We’re going to be spreading resources and helping in the process of quitting if people are interested.”
The group will provide “quit kits,” which the students put together. The kits will include candies, mints, play-doh and bracelets.
“It’s helping with the addition of the physical action of smoking, it can be really addictive too,” Keller said. “The kits have things to keep smokers’ hands and mouth busy.”
The table will also serve to start conversations about the possibility of a smoking ban on campus.
“We just want to start conversations with people to let them know it’ll be worked on,” Keller said.
The discussion won’t be anything formal, but the group wants to see student reactions and talk about the possibilities, she said.
Faith Yingling, director of Wellness at the University and the adviser of the Student Wellness Connection, said the information table is important because some students start smoking during the college years.
“In the 18 to 25 year span, there are students who certainly start smoking,” Yingling said. “We want to raise awareness about quitting.”
The organization also wants to let people know that they’re not alone, Yingling said.
“There are certainly other people in the same boat trying to quit,” she said.
The Student Wellness Connection isn’t the only organization doing something in honor of the Great American Smokeout–Colleges Against Cancer is also hosting an information table in the Union.
The organization will be hosting a table from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. with information about quitting and will offer kits as well, said Allison Hines, president of Colleges Against Cancer.
“The kits offer things to fidget with instead of smoking,” she said. “We want to promote cancer education and advocacy, it’s a great way to learn more about what we’re doing on campus.”
At the table, students can also write letters to legislators encouraging them to support bans on smoking, Hines said.
Both organizations want to raise awareness about smoking and the health and money concerns that go along with it.
“Having a national day of attention helps to raise that awareness,” Yingling said.
