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kaleidoscope 2002

Pushing for no tobacco

By Kristen Force and Alexis Kindig
On-line Forty-Niner

Students in need of more race car action than just the Grand Prix will race a pushcart today in Lot 3 at 11 a.m. to promote a smoke-free Cal State Long Beach campus.
 
The Center for Healthcare Innovation is sponsoring the racing event in conjunction with grants from the master settlement and Proposition 99, whicsh added a 25 cent tax to tobacco products in 1989.
 
The Master Settlement Agreement, signed in November 1998, resolved lawsuits against the tobacco industry and provided the states funding intended for tobacco prevention and control.
 
The agreement required tobacco companies to take down all billboard advertising, to stop using cartoon characters to sell cigarettes and to make many of their internal documents available to the public.
 
The tobacco companies also agreed to not market or promote their products to anyone under 18 years of age.
 
"We're trying to impact the smoking practices on campus," said Stafford Cox, project director and consultant for academic computing services.
 
All students currently attending CSULB are eligible to participate. There will be 16 teams with a maximum of 12 members per team.
 
Each group was required to build its own pushcart from a pre-cut design that will be supplied free of charge. Decorating the cart is at the discretion of each team, but each car must include a tobacco-free message.
 
Applicants are not required to stay the entire day after their run is timed and recorded.
 
Awards will be given for best design, most creative or original design, and fastest and slowest car. Free car washes will be raffled off to those in attendance.
 
All participants will receive a T-shirt and food throughout the day. Trophies will be awarded and tickets for the Muscle Car Show held Sunday will be given away.
 
Participating groups will be able to keep their cars after the event is over.
 
The Center for Healthcare Innovation began the smoke-free project on campus because statistics have shown that college students are more likely to begin smoking once they are in college than ever before.
 
While California law prohibits smoking within 15 feet of a government building, smokers on California State University system campuses are only required to stay five feet away from campus buildings, said Natalie Whitehouse-Capuano, project coordinator.
 
"This may be the first smoke-free event on campus," Cox said. "I'm sure it's the first smoke-free event held outdoors."

Any students interested in receiving more information on the smoke-free pushcart race can contact Whitehouse-Capuano at nataliew@csulb.edu or at (562) 985-5740.
 

Kristen Force/On-line Forty-Niner

Natalie Whitehouse-Capuano, project coordinator for the smoke-free campus pushcart race, tests out a cart before the competition, which is on Saturday.

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