Students looking for help to quit smoking found support on Wednesday as the Student Health Advisory Committee celebrated the Great American Smokeout on Wednesday.

Each year, the American Cancer Society observes a day called the Great American Smokeout to offer support and education for those who are interested in quitting smoking.

“It’s a day that is celebrated where people try to quit smoking for 24 hours,” said Mike Huynh, Chair of the Student Health Advisory Committee (SHAC).

“Right now we are trying to get smokers to give up a cigarette or two to be one less smoke for them.”

Committee members and volunteers handed out small kits to help quit smoking, pamphlets with information, and had a large jar meant to collect one cigarette from each smoker who came to the table.

“It’s a tradition,” added Huynh. “It’s always been this day, every year.”

The event is actually supposed to be Nov. 18, but SHAC chose to celebrate it on the 17th because of the vibrant CSU East Bay campus community on Wednesdays, like ASI Presents Live at Noon.

This was a good strategic move for the committee. ASI also had their “Meet your Dean” event at the same time, giving away free pizza to anyone walking by, resulting in a high turn out for the Great American Smokeout.

“For those who have been affected by smoking,” said Huynh, “we want them to leave a comment on our board to share with us.”

SHAC set up a canvas banner for students and other members of the campus community to come and write on, offering support to those trying to kick the habit or sharing how smoking has affected their lives.

“There are a lot of benefits to your health,” added Huynh. “We want to get as many from the CSUEB campus out here so we can talk to them and tell them what’s going on. So, that’s our goal—to spread awareness about tobacco.”

While the main purpose of the day was to aid the campus community in quitting smoking, SHAC also followed through with their promise to identify aspects of the current smoking policy at CSUEB that need to be improved to create a better environment for the whole campus.

Committee members know how hard it can be to change a habit, so they want to offer their help to anyone seeking it to the best of their abilities.

“It’s often very difficult to quit—it takes several times,” Huynh said. “But at least here, today, together, we can all try to give it up for 24 hours. And this is their step in making it happen.”