CASE/PASS for a Smokefree Kirksville

Truman State University-PASS

Several campuses across the state of Missouri have joined the alliance in advocating for tobacco control initiatives. Truman State University in Kirksville created an organization titled Peers Against Second-hand Smoke, PASS. This organization provides a peer education program used to bring up awareness of second-hand smoke dangers. PASS peer educators use education, advocacy, and community involvement to promote student learning about second-hand smoke, provide smoking cessation services on campus, and advocate for community and campus smoke-free environments.
Truman State University PASS provides educational material through pamphlets, articles, websites, interactive programs, and resources such as the Student Health Center on campus. They have been involved in health fairs on campus, community activities, and the Great American Smokeout. PASS students also provide campus and organization presentations as requested.
PASS has been actively conducting free tobacco cessation programs on the Truman State Campus since November 2007. The program lasted five weeks, provided free nicotine replacement patches and gum, and was peer-taught, but also local pharmacy and physician volunteers helped participants with their goals and expectations. Any Truman student, faculty or staff was encouraged to participate. PASS members handed out materials on campus, helped with community events, supported pro-health candidates in several forums, worked with local media, and made community-wide phone calls to voters in support of the smoke-free ordinance. PASS was also heavily involved with the Kirksville Breathe Easy coalition in passing a smoke-free policy in public places in April 2007 (CASE, 2008).
Breathe Easy Missouri promotes the right of all citizens to breathe clean, smoke free air and live free from addiction to tobacco products. The coalition also works to prevent youth tobacco use as well as to increase quitting among all individuals and eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke. Furthermore, the coalition educates individuals about the dangers of exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke, encourages citizens to patronize smoke free businesses and refrain from tobacco use in public places, advocate for the elimination of smoking in all public areas, and support the development and enforcement of smoke free policies (Breathe Easy, 2008).

To apply to be a PASS peer educator:Pick up an application at the Center for Student Involvement or HES Office or contact Emily Forsyth at emf801@truman.edu

1. Breathe Easy Missouri. Retrieved September 1, 2008, from http://www.breatheeasymo.org/ .
2. Truman state university PASS alliance. CASE. Retrieved August 30, 2008, from http://www.casemo.org/campus/trumanst.shtml.