Published: July 02, 2008 03:39 pm            

Kick and pick

Having kicked smokes, OSU picks up the butts

As a celebration of Oklahoma State University’s tobacco-free policy going into effect on Tuesday, a group of about 25 volunteers from across campus picked up cigarette butts for an hour.

By determining the weight of an average cigarette butt and then weighing the haul, Yvon Fils-Aime, the school’s tobacco health educator, estimated the group picked up 26,667.

Based on the British Medical Journal’s assertion that one cigarette reduces life expectancy by 11 minutes, that is 293,337 minutes of life from the cigarette butts collected.

It is also $5,586.74 worth of cigarettes, based on an average of $4.19 per pack, and 186,669 minutes of smoking, assuming seven minutes per cigarette average.

The Center for Disease Control says each pack of cigarettes sold in the U.S. cost the country more than $7 in lost productivity and medical care. Based on that number, those butts cost the nation $9,331.

“It did not surprise me (to get so many), but it really makes me think how evil the tobacco company is,” Fils-Aime said.

Jason Linsenmeyer, the Colvin Center’s coordinator of intramural sports, put together one of the teams of four that did the collection.

“I just wanted to help out and volunteer to make (the campus) look better,” Linsenmeyer said.

Jeanne Croka, coordinator of recreation programs, said she wanted “to be a team member and wanted to help.”

Added Karissa Lowe, office manager at campus recreation, “I’m just here to beautify our campus.”

Also in attendance were representatives from Alcohol and Substance Abuse, Career Services, Greek Life, Residential Life, the Seretean Wellness Center, University Health Services, PaNOK and the Volunteer Learning Center.

Not surprisingly, those asked about the tobacco-free policy were supportive of it.

“The students are responding to the program we have,” Fils-Aime said. “Many of them are willing to quit. We know that’s not easy because of the concentration of nicotine the tobacco companies have been increasing, but we have effective medication available. We have a staff of seven physicians willing to help people quit.”

To contact Fils-Aime, call (405) 744-2745.

        

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