Quit smoking workshop offered

A quit smoking workshop SkillBuilder! will take place on Thursday, Nov. 18 from noon to 1 p.m. in room 111 of the Learning Resource Center. Nursing students will be on hand to provide support and information on ways to quit smoking in preparation for the 2010 Great American Smokeout. The event is free of charge and is sponsored by the student activity fee.

Health Promotion Specialist Lenny Shible said the SkillBuilder! will be used to show people that any day is a good day to quit.

“In a sense, the smokeout is in preparation of a longer process. The three most important words are ‘don’t quit quitting,’” he said.

Shible also urges people to be supportive of friends trying to quit.

“Don’t come down too hard on people trying to quit,” Shible said. “Doing so often has a negative effect. We’re here to provide information and support for those who wish to quit.”

– Heather Marshall

Students talk back on issues

Peer Advising Counseling and Education (PACE) will hold a Talk Back session on Nov. 18 where all students are open to discussion to share their opinions about current issues. They have covered topics from hate crimes to the issue of a mosque near the ground zero site. A.J. Lara, a PACE Team Leader and the student in charge of this week’s event, is in charge of leading the discussion on the topic of immigration issues in the United States.

“This isn’t a debate, but rather an opportunity for students that would like to discuss issues pertaining to the subject of immigration,” said Lara.  Lara invites anyone to come and have an open discussion in a non-debate setting.

The event is open to all students and will be held in the Gant/Spalding lobby on Thursday, Nov. 18.

— Erin Eidsvoog

Sex, drugs and rock event held

On Thursday, Nov. 18 at 8 p.m., a Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll event will be held in the basement of Gant/Spalding to educate students on a wide variety of health related topics.  The event will be formatted like the game “Jeopardy,” with six teams of four, wagering points that are earned by answering the different questions. While the game is played by teams, audience participation is highly encouraged, and there will be door prizes for participants.

The event organizer, Peer Advising Counseling and Education Team Leader A.J. Lara, said, “(This event) is a fun way for students to learn about topics that are ‘unmentionable’ in everyday conversations.”

If the interest is great enough this year, he plans on making this an annual event. Lara’s goal for the event is for the participants (teams and audience members) to all learn at least one new thing from attending the event, he said. To register a team, or for more information, please call the MERC office at 227-1554.

— Chelsea Parrish