Jocelyn Visnov Manhattan College Spreads Awareness on Dangers of Smoking with Truth Initiative Grant

Zoe DeFazio Web Editor

Manhattan College is set to be a smoke and vape free campus within the next year due to a $19,900 grant from Truth, a high profile anti-smoking organization.

Over the next few months, Manhattan College will create a task force that consists of two Truth student ambassadors to help aid campus with this transition.

According to USCF health, nicotine products have been proven to be as addictive as heroin and cocaine. About 70% of nicotine users that desire quitting the addictive habit wait to quit until after they develop a significant tobacco or nicotine related health problem such as cancer or heart failure.

The addiction center reports that over 50 million people are addicted to nicotine based products.

Esmilda Abreu-Hornbostel, associate vice president for Student Life and Dean of Students, recognizes the impact of changing Manhattan College’s campus to be a smoke and vape free zone.

“I think being smoke free and vape free will enhance the commitment to health that we have,” Abreu-Hornbostel said.

“It will educate the campus about people’s choices. I think we have to meet this challenge with a certain amount of empathy and compassion for everybody, because this would impact more than just the students.”

Abreu-Hornbostel continued by discussing the issues of a nicotine addiction, and the advertisement of products to individuals of certain communities.

The American Cancer society stated that in 2022, 11.5% of Black middle and high school students used a tobacco product. Although Black people tend to smoke fewer cigarettes daily and start smoking cigarettes at an older age, they are more likely to die from smoking-related diseases than white people and people of other racial backgrounds.

“What we want is for everyone to quit smoking. No kidding, right?” Abreu-Hornbostel said. “And what we want is a campus where we’re not walking over cigarette butts on the floor. What we want is an environment where we have honest conversations about BIPOC people and minority communities being targeted for tobacco use.”

The use of nicotine and tobacco products can be readily accessible for Manhattan College students. With smoke shops and bodegas surrounding campus, it can be hard for students to find motivation to quit.

Soren Juelsgaard, a senior English major, has been smoking cigarettes for two years. Juelsgaard is unhappy regarding the news of being a smoke free campus.

“I’m 21, so I feel like that’s stupid. I mean, I feel like if I’m 21 years old, I can go out to a bar and drink and buy cigarettes myself,” Juelsgaard said. “Why can’t I smoke on campus when I pay $25,000 to go here?

Like, that just makes no sense.”

Sofimar Encarnación, a sophomore political science major, spoke to The Quadrangle about her curiosity for the new implemented policy.

“It can work for a certain demographic of people, or at least for a certain amount of time,” Encarnación said. “I’m mainly talking about entitled people, because there’s a difference between people who have asthma or people who generally don’t like the smell… But then there’s also the people that if someone has an issue will say ‘I also have my own freewill. And I can do whatever I want to do. Even if it’s in policy’.”

The initiative overall will become a community effort for MC to transform its campus environment into a healthy space for students and faculty.