The Health Education Student Association’s (HESA) sign, Quit Smoking for the Day and Get a Free Sandwich, attracted ten-year smoker, Richard Zhant, a business graduate student, to their table this Thursday in Malcolm X Plaza.

He placed his cigarette into the “Kick Your Butts,” box to learn more about the American Cancer Society’s (ACS) 29th Great American Smokeout.

Today he won’t go cold turkey, which means to quit smoking abruptly, but this is a start, he said.

A pack of cigarettes for a turkey sandwich was the trade off between smokers on campus and HESA and Student Health Services (SHS) to promote the Smokeout. Their tables were set up at Malcolm X Plaza and near the library with handouts and pamphlets with information about the risks of smoking, ways to quit and things like no-smoking stickers, Spiderman comics, lollipops and tootsie rolls with messages to get people aware.

About 30 students stopped by to learn more about the event while about five students actually gave up their pack of cigarettes and one who gave up their cigar.

“We’re here to remind people of the consequences (of smoking) and reinforce those things,” said Marian Yee, outreach coordinator at the SHS. “Quitting is not a new idea and with a lot of stimulation, smokers try to tune it out.”

The Great American Smokeout is a day for smokers across the nation to smoke less or quit for the day to raise awareness of tobacco use and the different ways to quit for good.

The Smokeout began in the 1970s when Arthur P. Mullaney of Randolph, Massachusetts asked people to give up their cigarettes for the day and instead donate the money they would’ve spent on cigarettes to a high school scholarship fund, according to the ACS. The idea caught on in Californian and in 1977, the first official Smokeout day was established when the California Division of the ACS encouraged about one million smokers to quit for the day.

Although quitting takes more than one day, the Smokeout may be a good starting point. Research shows that smokers are most successful in kicking the habit when they have some means of support, such as encouragement from friends and family members, according to the ACS.

“If everyone comes together, it’s almost like an American-wide support group to stop smoking for one day,” said Ann Pattison, 21, a health education senior and HESA member.

Those who don’t know about this day may not reap the benefits of the cause. Most students on campus were unaware of this national event.

With prior knowledge of the Smokeout, I would be less apt to smoke in public today but something like this wouldn’t really make me quit, said Keith Kubota, 23, BECA senior and six-year smoker.

To a non-smoker, an event like this can be a way for them to express how they feel about someone they know who smokes.

“I really wish my dad would stop (smoking). I am sick of inhaling smoke,” said Morgan Welch, 24, creative arts senior. “This is a good way to provide support and keep people aware.”

Smoking may not only be bad for your health, but the cost might also leave a dent in your wallet.

“If you drop the money you would’ve spent on cigarettes into a bucket, you’d be surprised at how much you could save,” said Licia Johnson, 32, a HESA member and former smoker of five years.

The Smoke-Free Campus fliers taped along the edge of the SHS table sent a reminder to smokers about the no-smoking policy.

“This is a non-smoking campus and even though its evitable that people will smoke, it’s awareness for those who may not be conscious of others or the rules,” said Elysia Elsinga, 24, HESA treasurer.

For Albert Angelo, health educator at SF State, the Smokeout means raising awareness of the long-term effects of smoking, which can be death. About 400,000 people die each year from smoking and quitting just for one day is the first step, said Angelo, who has been tabling on this day annually since 1993.

With a turkey sandwich in hand, Zhant recalls the two-year period he quit smoking. He relied on gum to reduce his cigarette cravings.

“I seldom smoke now. Maybe once or twice a week,” he said. “But (to stop smoking) you must really want to quit by yourself.”

For more information call the American Cancer Society at 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit the Student Health Services Web site at www.sfsu.edu/~shs