Last Wednesday, in the common area between Demaray Hall and Marston-Watson Hall, a 6-foot tall, walking cigarette greeted people as they walked to and from classes in lower campus.

In the SUB (Student Union Building), a display showed students which products were produced by subsidiary companies owned by tobacco conglomerates, encouraging students to boycott these companies.

Every student going to lunch at Gwinn Commons walked past another display with a glass jar of cigarette butts and bottles of household cleaners. The display detailed the known poisons in cigarette smoke.

All these activities were part of the nation-wide "Kick Butts Day," which seeks to inform students about the dangers of using tobacco products, secondhand smoke and other tobacco health issues.

Jennifer Hymer, Intervention Specialist from the Fred Hutchinson Research Center, was in the common area, guiding the student wearing the cigarette costume. According to Hymer, SPU has been part of a study by her research center for two years. The study was attempting to find out if more students would quit smoking when given free nicotine replacements. Fifteen colleges were given free nicotine replacement materials to distribute, and 15 were just given fliers and other information sources. SPU was one of the schools that did receive nicotine patches and gum to give to people who asked for it at the Health Center.

"[Kick Butts Day] promotes cessation and increases awareness of health risks associated with tobacco use and second hand smoke," Hymer said.

According to Hymer, SPU does not have a high percentage of smokers (one figure she quoted was 9 percent), but those who do choose to smoke keep it secret to avoid being ostracized.

"This study offers the chance to quit confidentially," said Hymer.

Down in the SUB, Clea Brooks, a senior majoring in nursing, headed up the display showing tobacco companies' subsidiary holdings. Brooks said that the point of the display was to show that even if people do not smoke, their money may go to tobacco companies.

"By buying tobacco company subsidiary products, we're paying to kill people slowly," said Brooks. "It's disturbing -- really disturbing"

The display also showed other unpleasant activities that tobacco companies do in testing.

"The tobacco industry will use apes and dogs and other animals," Brooks said. "They put masks on them and force them to inhale tobacco smoke."

In the foyer of Gwinn commons, April Rimondi and Amanda Turnbill, both seniors and nursing majors, worked at their own display, which outlined the toxic substances in tobacco smoke.

"We're trying to show all the nasty things you inhale when you breathe secondhand smoke," Rimondi said.

Many of the chemicals shown in the display were things that people know should not be in their body, but unknowingly absorb when they breathe in secondhand smoke. The display had several substances such as acetone, lead, mercury, nickel and ammonia. According to the American Lung Association's website, these are only a few of the hundreds of substances in tobacco smoke.

"Just because you don't smoke doesn't mean you won't inhale smoke, like in a restaurant or a bar," said Rimondi.

Turnbill and Rimondi said that the response to their display had been positive, with some students commenting on the large amount of information provided. They also said that several people had picked up "quit kits," which have candy, gum, and other non-smoking substitutes, to take to friends.

Turnbill and Rimondi explained that they think people should be more informed about tobacco use. All of the volunteers suggested the website www.bigtobaccosucks.com for more information.

"It's a bigger deal than most people think," said Rimondi.