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They are everywhere. Stroll Smith's campus any day, rain, snow or shine, and you'll see them hunched nervously over a notebook on the steps of Seelye Hall or circled in front of Nielson Library, often hugging themselves against a bitter wind. Some wear metal rings through their eyebrows, some carry briefcases. All have one thing besides Smith in common: they are smokers. Considering recent media attention paid the devastating health effects of tobacco use and the myriad court battles raging between ill smokers and tobacco companies, it would seem unlikely that educated young women would be taking up the habit in droves -- but they are. Dr. Les Jaffe, director of Health Services at Smith, estimates that a quarter of Smith's student population smokes habitually. From an informal sampling made last fall of smokers and nonsmokers on campus, many different voices and opinions emerge, but one thing seems certain: the student smoking population at Smith seems to pretty much parallel that among young females elsewhere. What is surprising, however, is that Smith smokers seem for the most part unconcerned about the effect their habit is having on themselves and those around them. Many student smokers said they started primarily because of social or peer pressure, and agreed that for young women in particular, smoking is an image thing. "In a way it's like challenging masculinity, because men smoke and it was always seen as this tough masculine thing. Now women are adapting to it too," mused Grace Lee '00. Of course, tobacco companies have been making sure of this for decades. "Three thousand children and adolescents start smoking every day, and if it doesn't begin in adolescence it's unlikely to begin," remarked former FDA Commissioner David Kessler in his recent speech on the Smith campus. Kessler, who gave the Dulcy B. Miller Memorial Lecture at Smith in October, stressed that tobacco companies have been aggressively marketing their products to women and children for decades. He said the industry spends up to $6 billion a year on advertising alone. Smith student smokers professed to be as unmoved by manipulative advertising as they are by antismoking messages in the media. Many were disgusted with the obvious targeting of cigarette ads. Those interviewed gave a variety of reasons for continuing to light up. Most said they did because they enjoyed how it makes them feel. Many said they use tobacco to relieve stress. A second-year student who asked that her name not be used said she uses nicotine and caffeine to get through exam time or heavy workloads: "Smoking keeps me awake." Chalk it up to the folly of youth, but the majority of students surveyed expressed no concern for their health. Those that were concerned believed they would quit long before smoking had any adverse effect on their bodies. Jessica Long '01 started rolling her own when she learned about the chemical additives in commercial cigarettes. "I noticed a huge difference in how I felt after that," said Long. "So I think as far as cancer goes I've lowered my risk considerably. I feel like I'm pretty OK." Adrienne Thompson '01, who has smoked since she was 12, said she is aware of the dangers. "I know the health problems, I know it's not a healthy thing to do but I really enjoy it and when it's time for me to quit, I'll quit." But quitting smoking "is probably one of the most difficult things any human being can do," emphasized Connie Peterson, coordinator of health education in Health Services at Smith. "It's really a tough nut to crack." One study, however, offers hope. Naomi Breslau of the Henry Ford Health Sciences Center in Detroit found that, other than age, education is the only strong predictor of who will quit. Breslau found that smokers who finished college were 2.5 times more likely than high school graduates to kick the habit. Apparently love and family also hold some sway with Smith smokers. About half cited two situations that would definitely impel them to quit: having children, and becoming romantically involved with a nonsmoker. "The hitting-over-the-head approach with scary facts and statistics really doesn't seem to help at all," claimed Peterson. "It doesn't help with most smokers and it especially doesn't help with traditional-age college students." She said there is ample support available from Health Services for students who want to quit, such as a step-by-step program and personal counseling, but requests for help are rare. "We've had different programs over the years, but whenever we have offered the multisession quit-smoking program we've never gotten more than one or two students to sign up," said Peterson. Although nonsmokers at Smith are in the majority, they seemed reluctant to speak up. More than one refused to be interviewed for fear of offending fellow students who smoked. Those willing to be interviewed said smoking on campus is too easy and socially acceptable. Sara Gathers '00, who is allergic to cigarette smoke, says Smith's smoking policies don't go far enough. The college recently revised its smoking policy, banning smoking not only inside academic and administrative buildings, but also in and around their entrances as well. "It's a great idea, but no one's going to enforce that," Gathers said. She said she hasn't noticed any change since the new policy went into effect. "I've even noticed some of the faculty and administration occasionally smoking at entrances." Gathers said that if she breathes even a whiff of tobacco smoke she gets migraine headaches severe enough to interfere with her studies. She and other nonsmokers complained about the smoking that takes place in the residential houses, although a campuswide smoking policy in effect campuswide is intended to comply with the requirements of the Massachusetts Clean Air Act. Each house may designate a specific smoking area or choose to be no-smoking in all common areas. Surprisingly, only one house has voted to be smoke-free. Nonsmokers maintained that within their houses, rules about not smoking in hallways or nonsmoking wings are not well enough enforced. "I find that there is constantly smoke in my room and the entire nonsmoking hallway I live in," Gathers lamented. All in all, for many young people the lure of smoking continues to be strong. Disincentives -- even the gruesome specter of heart disease or lung cancer -- are easily ignored. And once they start, smokers maintain that cigarettes can seem to be helpful in coping with the stress and loneliness that may accompany growing up and getting through college. "My cigarette is kind of like a friend that's always there," remarked Grace Lee. "A cheap friend that I have to buy," she said with a wry smile, "but still a friend that's always there, accompanying me when I'm walking home in the dark alone." |
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