LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Relieve stress and your lungs at the same time

submitted by Amy Gassen

I was very disappointed after reading the last edition of Loquitur. It wasn't due to the shocking news that I might be living in Grace Hall next year, even though it is a little disturbing to house people in a place that was once home to horses. Nor was it the --. scary fact the Hillary Clinton has formally announced that she will run for the senate. (Yikes.) Although the two other shockers did cause my brow to rise; a different piece of information hit me hard. I was very disappointed at the news report that concluded that 39 percent of the students on campus are smokers. Even more disturbing was the finding that School spirit can make your problems go away (sometimes)

submitted by Bob Macartney Sports Information and Media Relations Coordinator

I'm sure you have all heard the ghost stories on campus. Mysterious women wandering the balconies in the mansion looking for long- lost children. Trenchcoat-wearing gentleman walking the campus on the night of the first snow. The men's basketball team playing in front of a packed house in the Dixon Center, chasing its seventh PAC title in eight years.

None of these things are real. At least, not right now.

In case you haven't noticed, and from the looks of the stands at all the home basketball games, you have not, our men's basketball team is in the midst of yet another fine season, and our women's team

1.8 percent stared smoking after they came to college.

I started out at Cabrini College as a smoker. In the month of September, anyone could have found me puffing away with all of the students of Xavier Hall. Smoking had been part of the social seen in high school. It was only natural that smoking follow me to college.

After a while, I began to question why I was smoking. Why would a student climbing the ladder to success want to fill her lungs with black smoke on a daily basis? The answer, I realized, was simply to relieve stress. Once the perpetrator was identified, the road to stop smoking began.

I rationalized that since I was smoking to relieve stress, I could cut cigarettes out of my daily diet if I found other ways to deal with stress. The process was hard, and I occasionally find myself sneaking back to the bad habit. However, I prepared a strategy which continues to help me along the way. has earned a spot in the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (PAC) playoffs.

I read in Loquitur on a weekly basis how the students of this college are yearning to make a difference in something. Well, why don't you make a difference at our home sporting events? Why have the Cabrini fans been outnumbered in their home gym for three consecutive games? Doesn't it bother you that fans of these other teams come out in droves, while you lounge in your dorms?

Not only will you enjoy the action on the floor, but the thirdranked Cavaliers also will solve a number of your on-campus problems as well. Can't find a parking space? There's plenty in front of the Dixon Center on game nights. Tired of your overcrowded rooms? Plenty of space in the stands behind the opponents basket. No money after your tuition bill? Admission is free for all students with a valid Cabrini ID.

The men's basketball PAC Quarterfinals begin on Saturday, Feb. 19. The team bas earned home-court advantage through the playoffs by virtue of its regular season record (14-1 heading into Monday night's game vs. Misericordia). As long as they continue to win, the road to the PAC title runs straight through the Dixon Center.

1. I began the process by ripping up the remaining contents of my half smoked box of Marlboro Lights. Seeing the insides of these nicotine sticks is enough to churn stomachs.

2. I bung motivational passages on my walls. They serve as daily reminders to stay away from the bad habit.

3. I started working out every day. This had served as the most important step. I highly encourage all smokers who don't work out to spend an hour at the Dixon Center for a week. I guarantee that your stress levels will drop and you will not crave nicotine as much.

4. Ask friends to rip cigarettes from your bands if they catch you sneaking in a puff.

The above list is working for me. I am still on the road to complete success. I encourage smokers to try to find other ways of reducing stress. Good Luck.

Is it too much to ask for you to turn out and root your classmates on to victory? The last two home games have been two of the best games in recent memory, both being decided at the final buzzer. There will be no laclcc0hotion,, • and there is a pretty good chance you will go home happy. As an added bonus, this year's Conference champion gets an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. That's the Division ill tourney, which is almost as exciting as the one on TV in March. There are plenty of good seats remaining on the bandwagon.

Take a chance and actually enjoy an event held on campus. While this might mean you won't have a chance to complain about the college in print, the upside is tremendous. School spirit is a wonderful thing.

P.S. The spring season starts in a few weeks, and I am sure those student-athletes would not mind your presence at home games as well. But Jet's start small. See you at the Dixon Center on Feb. 19.