When University students light up, they join the growing ranks of about four million college-aged smokers throughout the country.
Although smoking is not a new phenomenon at colleges and universities, many health care professionals are worried to see increasing numbers of college students who smoke.
A study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health found that the number of smokers at 116 colleges rose by 28 percent between 1993 and 1997.
At the University, a survey conducted by the Department of Psychiatric Medicine in the spring shows 34.8 percent of University students reported using tobacco in the last 30 days, with 15.4 percent having done so on 40 or more occasions.
These statistics alarm many in the health care profession.
"This is a crucial pressing issue that continues ... on all college campuses," said Susan Tate, director for Health Promotion at the Elson Student Health Center. "We can see more people smoking now than ever before."
Student smoking is a problem that could have long-term effects for many, said Jonathan Dean Truwit, division chief of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the Medical Center.
"I have patients who come in unable to breathe, requiring oxygen," Truwit said.
Despite the warnings of health professionals, some University students choose to continue smoking.
First-year College student Melina Schuler said she likes smoking although she knows it is not healthy.
"I really enjoy smoking. It's a lot of fun," Schuler said.
"I didn't think about the health risks at first, then I started to notice breathing changes," she said.
Some students said they continue to smoke because of peer pressure.
"When everyone around you is doing it, it's hard to quit," third-year College student Kate Harding said.
"I guess [I started smoking] pretty much because my friends started doing it," Schuler said.
But she also said there is peer pressure from non-smokers as well.
"When you're not with a group of people who smoke, there's less pressure to smoke [but as a smoker you get] a feeling that people are looking down on you," she added.
Some smokers realize the added drawbacks of smoking, but choose the enjoyment over the disadvantages.
Cigarettes cost a lot of money, it is an inconvenience and time-consuming to buy them and a hassle to clean up, Harding said.
However, they are also "relaxing" and a good "study break," she said.
Realizing a need to address the health problems created by increasing numbers of college smokers, several divisions within Student Health met last week to discuss how to approach the issue. Each division will contribute in some way to an upcoming campaign to reduce student smoking by forming support groups, increasing education or meeting with smokers to find out how to help them.
The Health Sciences Center now is conducting research on smoking and Tate said hopefully they will learn how to best help smokers and will develop programs accordingly.
"Our dilemma is ... we're not sure people want to quit," she said.
She said she is concerned that student smokers will decide to quit only after irreparable damage has been done.
College smokers are "pretty content to smoke now and stop later," Tate said.
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