Okay, here's the hard part: getting people to stop using tobacco or even want to try. The truth is, most college students haven't been smoking that long, so chances are they will say they still like it. But, ask them if and when they plan on quitting and the majority has the same thing to say. "Oh I plan on quitting before I graduate." Great! You can take advantage of this fact.

First of all, we can concentrate on the seniors who may be using their remaining time as the chance to smoke before they enter the "real world." We’ve gotta jump on them quick because time is definitely running out. But then, why not encourage all the other classes to consider quitting right now and get a jumpstart on the whole idea?

In any case, we like to call this approach our "By the Time You Graduate Campaign" and it has several different elements to it. Check it out:

New Year's Resolution Postcards

You Know You Want To Campaign

Academic Advising/Career Services Program

By the Time You Graduate Senior Postcards

Many people set some kind of New Year's Resolution. So why not one that can save their life? The idea here is to encourage smokers to consider quitting over the winter break or after they return to school in January. A friendly little postcard can help do the trick.

We've already created a postcard you can customize for your campus. For ordering information click here.

When planning your postcard campaign, keep the following in mind:

• When deciding who should get the postcard (all students, random sample or all seniors), think about how big you want the campaign to be and what kind of budget you have. Remember, if you're planning on mailing to off-campus addresses, the postage can get pretty pricey.
  
  
• The back of the postcard can include text messages with data specific to your campus. For example, mention the percentage of your students who say they want to quit by the time they graduate, the actual percentage that don't smoke or include resource info like where to pick up a quit kit or join a support group.

You Know You Want To Campaign

Imagine a campaign that would result in a 33% reduction in smoking on campus. University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh did and that's just what happened when they created the "You Know You Want To" campaign. They were good enough to share it with us and now we're passing it on to you.

This campaign uses a four-part series of posters to highlight the benefits students will receive by quitting smoking. Not only does it appeal to their physical well-being, it addresses the issues of emotional health and self-empowerment.

Each poster in the "You Know You Want To" series uses the positive social norm that most college students who smoke want to quit by the time they graduate. The good thing is that these well-designed, eye-catching posters get the message across in a memorable way. The four posters are…

You Know You Want To…

• Be Kissed
• Get Some Cash
• Have Some Energy
• Come Inside

For customizing and ordering information click here.

Academic Advising/Career Services Program

Turn tobacco prevention into a campus-wide issue by recruiting allies from the faculty and staff. Academic advisors and career services staff can be a big help in getting the tobacco cessation message to students. When working with these departments, keep the following in mind:

• The best way to contact those faculty and staff members who are academic advisors is through the mail. Explain to them what you are trying to accomplish and include data about how most college students who smoke say they want to quit. Click here for a sample letter.
  
  
• Decide whether to work with all academic advisors or just those advising graduating seniors. Follow up your letter with a phone call or e-mail.
  
  
• Once you have a list of those who want to participate, send them some promotional items to help them with their efforts (i.e., "You Know You Want To" posters, New Year's Resolution postcards, highlighters, etc.)
  
  
• Provide the participants with a list of resources they can access to find information on smoking, cessation, etc.
  
  
• Make sure to thank the participants for their efforts.
  
  
• Unlike academic advisors who are spread out throughout the campus, Career Services is often located in one department. This makes it easier to schedule a face-to-face meeting to encourage their support.
  
  
• There may be some faculty and staff members who will not be interested in helping with your project. They may be uncomfortable having the conversation with students or may feel it is not their role. Or they might be smokers themselves who just don't want to be your ally. Don't be discouraged. There will be many out there who will want to help, just keep looking and asking.

By the Time You Graduate Senior Postcard

The second postcard in this series uses the main slogan in the campaign, "Most College Students Who Smoke Say They Want To Quit Before They Graduate." Much like the New Year's Resolution postcard, the front of the postcard says the same, but the text on the back can be customized. This postcard is meant for graduating seniors only.

For customizing and ordering information click here.