Kara Keegan, an education freshman, has been smoking cigarettes for three years. Today, she is thinking about not lighting up.
"I might try to quit for the day," Keegan said. "Especially for a gift certificate."
Keegan is referring to the more than 100 restaurant gift certificates being handed out to smokers who hand over their packs for the day, as part of the Great American Smokeout.
The Student Health Advisory Committee will be distributing the gift certificates to any student who pledges to quit smoking for the day, said Rachit Kumar, physiological sciences senior, and director of the SHAC.
"We take their pack from them, and in exchange, give them a gift certificate," Kumar said.
The SHAC has spent more than one month organizing the event that will be held on the UA Mall today from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., Kumar said. Some of the participating restaurants include Tony Roma's, Chuy's and Applebee's.
"Most of the restaurants are non-smoking or restricted smoking, and they are trying to promote that," Kumar said. "We have gotten great support from the community."
The SHAC is working in collaboration with the Arizona Lung Association, the Arizona Smokers' Helpline, Tobacco Free Ways, Wingspan and the official sponsor of the smoke out, the American Lung Association, Kumar said.
"We will be distributing fliers and handouts on how to quit smoking," he said. "We know it is tough to just throw away the pack and quit cold turkey, so we will try to give tips on how to cut back gradually."
The SHAC is not the only student organization trying to help students kick the habit. The Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association will also be on the Mall today.
President of the APAMSA and biochemistry science junior, Xuemei Cai, wanted to do something for students who will pledge to quit smoking for the day, so she decided to hand out cold-turkey sandwiches.
"The sandwich is an incentive for students," Cai said. "Free food always attracts people."
Eegee's will be supplying the sandwiches for the event that Cai hopes will open students' eyes to the dangers of cigarette smoke.
"As future physicians we want students to quit smoking today rather than face a future of complications," she said. "The smokeout provides a national support day. You know you are not alone."
The Great American Smokeout was started in 1977 by the American Lung Association and has since blossomed into a national event.
In the United States more than 400,000 deaths are attributed annually to cigarette smoking, according to the Center for Disease Control Web site.
One in every five deaths is smoking related, according to the CDC Web site.
It is for that reason Kumar said the SHAC has an important role in educating students on the dangers of smoking.
"We are trying to help students," Kumar said. "If a student were to quit smoking now, there would be a positive effect on them everyday for the rest of their life."
Munazer Chowdhury, a finance senior, has smoked for five years and knows all too well the powerful hold of a nicotine addiction.
"I have never tried to quit," he said. "I thought I would quit when I graduated, but it doesn't look like that will happen. When you are stressed it is so hard not to smoke."
Rebecca Ruiz-McGill, program coordinator at the College of Public Health, hopes to attract the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community to the smokeout events.
"We are hoping to draw attention to the LGBT community," she said. "They have one of the highest rates of smoking."
Wingspan and the Arizona Smokers' Helpline have teamed together to offer support and information to the LGBT community on a lifestyle free of cigarettes.
They will be hosting a free event entitled "Take your Last Drag," tonight beginning at 6 p.m. at the Eon Lounge.
"Tucson's well-known and wonderful Drag Kings will be there, including Boys R' Us," said Casey Condit, program coordinator at the Eon Lounge.
At the show, information will be available to anyone interested on how to quit smoking.
"It is all about giving people the tools to make informed decisions if they choose to quit smoking," Condit said.
For more information on tonight's event call 620-6245.