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news
Carts push for less
tobacco
By Kristen Force
On-line Forty-Niner
Students in need
of more race car action than just the Grand Prix next weekend
have the opportunity to construct and race a pushcart 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 Master Settlement and
Proposition 99, which 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.
"Signups are first come, first serve, so if students
can get a group together and sign up soon they will be able
to have a spot for the event," said Natalie Whitehouse-Capuano,
project coordinator.
Each group is 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.
The race will be held April 27 at 11 a.m. in Parking Lot 3.
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, April 28 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 as a result of statistics showing 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 CSU campuses are only required
to stay five feet away from campus buildings, Whitehouse-Capuano
said.
"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 985-5740.
Contacts:
Stafford Cox - program director
985-7801
Natalie Whitehouse-Capuano - program coordinator
985-5740
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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 on April 27.
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