JCAL student leaders, Mariam Ahmed and Aaliyah Dyer, and club members create quit kits at their recent event.
LAUREN RAZIANO/THE QUADRANGLE
By Lauren Raziano, Senior Writer
Jaspers for Clean Air and Lungs (JCAL) is a student-run organization at Manhattan College that educates students about the risks of smoking on campus through inclusivity and education initiatives.
In March 2023, MC received a one-time $19,900 grant from the Truth Initiative, a high-profile anti-smoking organization.
JCAL is spearheaded by two student ambassadors, Aaliyah Dyer and Mariam Ahmed.
Aaliyah Dyer is a sophomore biology student who joined the club when her roommate, Vivian Nartey, asked her to join. Sophomore psychology major Mariam Ahmed is a Truth student ambassador who is motivated to help students in any part of their anti-smoking journey.
“This club is for anyone in any part of their smoking journey, if you are trying to quit or have even thought about smoking,” Ahmed said. “At the end of the day, it’s about helping people and trying to help or move them across their journey. Especially being health majors, we found this amazing opportunity to get leadership action, get involved and be a part of a community.”
The Truth Initiative has been able to award grants to more than 180 minority-serving academic institutions, community colleges and women’s colleges to help them become smoke or tobacco-free.
The three Truth campaigns focus on environmental protection, social justice topics and mental health support. To support this larger organizational goal, JCAL hosted a “healthy heart, healthy lung” event for students to make quit kits.
The quit kit included gum packets, Jolly Ranchers, gummy bears, a stress ball, chapstick, stickers and a phone number contact card for anti-smoking resources.
The bags will be at different student centers throughout campus, such as the Multicultural Center, the WGRC, the counseling departments, the veterans center and the human resources department for staff members.
“Today is our healthy heart, healthy lungs quit kits making event,” Ahmed said, “With the whole Valentine’s Day theme, we are trying to implement the idea that going smoke-free is also a form of spreading love because you’re taking care of each other by looking out for each other and looking out for our bodies.”
The students also are planning to be a part of the Jasper Day of Wellness on April 22, to promote healthy lifestyles and hopefully host more events like the wellness walk in the fall.
Anne Mavor, the director of health services and the administrative leader of JCAL, has a goal to make MC a smoke-free campus by the end of 2024.
During the fall 2023 semester, a health services survey was sent to all Manhattan College students and staff to collect data and opinions about the views of the community on tobacco and secondhand smoke. Mavor reported that they received over 800 responses with an important factor that MC members are bothered by secondhand smoke.
“We are a pretty non-smoking campus, but there are enough people, 22%, that are bothered by smoke on campus,” Mavor said. “We are trying to get the policy changed as there are still smoking areas. The grant has a policy that motivates the college to go completely tobacco-free, so we are in the process of spreading that awareness.”
Dyer is looking forward to seeing the new tobacco-free campus policy be implemented.
“Personally, I want to see the new policy takeover,” Dyer said. “ I want to see what will happen on campus because I see many students smoking around Horan Hall and on the steps. I want to see what changes will happen after the policy.”
Although the grant and club were faced with some negativity and stigma around smoking on campus, the leaders emphasized that the club is more than the policy they want to implement.
“One thing is we’re extremely inclusive, we always try to emphasize the fact that it’s for anybody and it doesn’t matter where you are in your journey, even if you still are doing it,” Ahmed said. “I feel like at the same time the club is about educating. It’s about creating a safer environment for those who are smoking and those who aren’t because maybe those who are smoking don’t know the extent to which it’s affecting their health.”
JCAL hopes to educate the importance of creating a safer environment for smokers and non-smokers and incorporate the values of MC to have a healthier campus community.
“There is a beauty in implementing change and it’s so rewarding to be a part of it,” Ahmed said. “We are able to provide a community that’s welcoming and safe for all types of people. We are focused on diversity and inclusivity, the true morals of Manhattan College so it’s rewarding to be able to implement that through our club and goals.”