A survey by the Harvard School for public health proves what some students may have suspected — smoking rates among college students are rising.

“I see a lot of people smoking, and it seems that most students here do it,” said T.J. Schneider, freshman in management information systems and marketing. “I see at least 20 people smoking every day when I go to class.”

The survey shows that nationwide smoking among college students increased by 28 percent between 1993 and 1997.

Of the 14,251 students surveyed at 116 four-year colleges last year, 28 percent had smoked at least once within the previous month, compared with only 22 percent in 1993.

“There are several things that have contributed to the increase,” said Margaret McCloud, director of public relations for the American Lung Association of Iowa. “It has to do with peer pressure, advertising and several other factors. There isn’t any one reason for the increase.”

The statistics are surprising to Harvard Medicine Professor Nancy Rigotti, co-author of the study.

According to The Associated Press, Rigotti said the results are surprising because the medical community generally has assumed that college students, who are typically more educated and wealthier than the general population, are less affected by the pressure to smoke.

“This is a direct result of marketing,” Rigotti said. “A lot of it is a consequence of the marketing and promotion of the tobacco industry.”

Rising teen-age smoking rates had a direct impact on college-aged smoking statistics, McCloud said.

“Based on recent studies, teen smoking has a lot to do with it,” McCloud said. “Almost 3,000 teen-agers start smoking every day in the United States, and the rates have been rising for many years now.”

Although more students are smoking, there are few places to smoke on campus.

“Students cannot smoke anywhere on campus,” said Dawn Kottler, clerk for the Department of Residence. “They can smoke in their rooms with the door shut in houses that allow it. Students cannot smoke in the dining halls and many other public places on campus.”

Kottler said one reason for the strict smoking policy is because smoking is unhealthy to the students who do not smoke.

“Most people that do not want to be around smoke do not want to run into it in public places,” Kottler said. “It is something that they should not have to deal with, and this way they don’t have to.”

However, Schneider said he does not mind smoking in general.

“I don’t hold anything against anybody who smokes,” Schneider said. “I think that students should just realize the risks involved, and they should know what it is going to do to them.”

Some of the diseases associated with smoking include pneumonia, lung cancer and emphysema.

“I would say to anyone that is smoking or is considering smoking that if you want to die of lung disease and die an early death, they should continue,” McCloud said. “If you want to keep up your chances of living a long and healthy life, you need to quit.”

McCloud said there are many methods students can use to quit smoking.

“You can quit in different ways, whether it be cold turkey, nicotine patches, gums or clinics,” she said. “You have help in your fight to quit smoking.”

Students wishing to quit can contact Randy Mayer at the Student Health Center at 294-2722 or the staff at the Wellness Center at 294-1868.