College smoking survey reports 39% smoke

by Joe Holden news editor

Students say they aren't stressing for no good reason. Brain-numbing amounts of homework torture many college students.

Many students experience roommate problems that easily escalate into Herculeanlike smackdowns.

The life of a many students can be compared to the frayed edges of a piece of paper tom from a spiral notebook. '

What do students do to soothe their tattered nerves?

Smoking cigarettes accounts for a large part of stress and anxiety relief among many ages, but who among us smokes?

A poll was taken this past week of 100 Cabrini students. The students were asked if they currently smoked cigarettes, and if they did smoke, did they begin in high school or when they started attending college.

Out of the 100 students, 39 or 39 percent smoked cigarettes at the current time.

Sixty-one students, or 61 percent reported not smoking at the current time.

Fourteen students, or 35.9 percent out of the 39 that smoked at the current time indicated that they began smoking only when they came to college.

Of the 61 students that reported not smoking at the current time, seven students. or 11.5 percent reported that they smoked during their senior year of high school and quit before corning to college.

Out of the 100 students polled, 32 students smoked in high school, as opposed to the 39 students out of the 100 that smoke currently, a rise of 1.8 percent.

The American Lung Association conducted a national survey in 1998 of seniors in high school.

The association ·s survey's results showed that 22.4 percent smoked cigarettes.

Sophomore student Brian Nerney, an accounting major and self-proclaimed nonsmokei Joesn't buy the results of the survey. That's a lie," Nerney said.

Many other students also shared their disbelief at the results. "I actually thought it would be higher," Nerney said.

Senior English/communication major Hamirah Mobley thinks the results are too low for this college.

"I think more people smoke on campus than those who don't," Mobley said. "There's more pressure in college, plus ifs a small campus."

Mobley, a non-smoker, thought a big reason why students smoke more at college is because mom and dad aren't breathing down their necks.

"I know a lot of people that smoke. They all say they don't but they do," Nerney said

Class of '00 to graduate on mansion lawn

Days before Christmas break, surveys were mailed to all seniors regarding the 2000 graduation spot. was not reached, Paul Weaver, acting dean, ruled in favor of the most popular selection.

Though the goal on survey returns by Janice Funk the most with 115 votes, or 44 percent of the 258. One hunmanaging editor dred votes or 39 percent of the 258 were cast for the upper

The mansion will be the location for Cabrini College's athletic field, and 43 or 17 percent were cast for the Dixon see that 258 were returned. May 2000 commencement exercises. Center.

'Tm happy that he went with the majority vote," Elliott said of Weaver's decision to hold graduation at the mansion.

Paul Weaver, acting dean of students, chose the mansion The ballots. which were sent out around Dec. 20 to seWeaver said he planned to choose the location that received the most votes should too few votes be returned. for graduation after too few ballots were cast by gr~duating niors· home addresses, were returned quickly initially, said seniors. Weaver. He did not receive as many last-minute responses

Graduating seniors had the opportunity to vote on a loca- as he expected.

Now that the location has been selected, arrangements will continue to be made for commencement. tion starting over Christmas break, and continuing until Jan- Weaver said that he expected more than the 50 percent of uary 28. At least 50 percent of those ballots had to be re- the votes to be returned, but says that the 46.1 percent returned in order for the votes to determine the spot. Of the tum rate was ·'not bad."

Weaver is looking into setting up a closed-circuit television viewing room, so that those who will be more comfortable in a climate-controlled room will be able to watch 280 ballots needed, 258 were returned.

Joe Elliott,, senior class president, did not expect close to graduation. Of the three locations on the ballot, the mansion received SOpercent of the votes to be returned, but was pleased to