University of Michigan - Michiganensian Yearbook (Ann Arbor, MI)

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cigarette culture By Sarah Johnson After a night out at a restaurant, a frat party, or a bar one thing was almost certain the smell that lingered. Even after a night studying in a coffee shop students may have noticed that the stale smoke smell found its way into sweaters, backpacks and jeans. I hate the way the smell clings to your clothes, said sophomore psychology major Lauren Mendelson. I hate how some people are so in-your-face about smoking. Like when they are blowing smoke in your face or just acting dramatic about having a cigarette. It ' s fine that you thinking smoking is cool, I guess, but don ' t hate me because I don ' t smoke, she added. Still, smoking was a part of the University ' s culture and many students picked up the habit when they came to college. Junior Business School student Jim Leroi admitted that was how he started: People always say they only smoke when they drink. That ' s not really true though. That ' s just how you start. First you just smoke at parties, then you smoke around other people who smoke, then you smoke one or two when you ' re really stressed out, and boom you ' re up to a pack a day. Laura Yankee, a junior psychology major, agreed that smoking was a habit and not a social passtime. I think social smoking is a crock. You either smoke or you don ' t. None of this ' I only smoke when I am around friends who smoke. ' Smoking isn ' t something you should do because you think it makes you cool, Yankee said. When asked why people should smoke she added, I don ' t know why you do it. It keeps me from being too stressed out. Stress was the biggest reason that most smokers reached for their lighter and stepped outside for the necessary smoke-break. Nonetheless, the biggest stress about smoking, for those who tried it, was quitting, Quitting is so hard. I didn ' t think it was going to be this hard. I ' ve gone three and a half weeks, said junior LSA student Ana Vaz. It ' s not so much about the nicotine addiction anymore it ' s the oral fixation. Altoids are key, though; whenever I want a cigarette, I just reach for the Altoids, Vaz continued. When asked what made her quit she shrugged and confessed, I smoked since I was thirteen, but then I saw a dissection of a smoker ' s lung. It was truly disgusting and I knew I had to quit. Michigan Life | 31

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f In pursuit of a fresh pack of cigarettes, Paul Conlin, a first-year engineering student, digs into his wallet at In ' N Out convenience store on E. University. Smoking proved to be an expensive habit, phou by Bert Hayes Taking a break from her studies, Beth Lambourne, a first-year student, enjoys her Marlboro Light. Many smokers rewarded their good study habits with smoke breaks. 30 | Smoking

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Wide Spectrum By Adam Spindler As a college town, Ann Arbor ' s charm could not really be attributed to any one thing, but there was something that stood out about the city that the University called home: diversity. Many students found the University attrac- tive because of its reputation for being a bit more open or liberal with regard to individual differences. Conversely, some may have been turned off by the idea of attending school in such a multi-cultural environment. The University ' s campus featured East Coasters, West Coast-ers, rich, poor, hippies, yuppies; one would have been hard-pressed to find a group that was not represented here. Students strove to find their place within a student body that was anything but homogeneous. At the New Student Convocation, Vice President of Student Affairs E. Royster Harper addressed the class of 2005 with the following advice: The best way to get to know yourself is to get to know someone different from yourself. Many students took Harper ' s sentiment to heart, but others found the task to be easier said than done. The opportunity, however, was certainly there for the taking. Many students learned just how sheltered their lives had been back home. Suburbia provided little context for the poverty that confronted passers-by in front of the In ' N Out convenience store on East University Avenue. Reactions were as varied as the student body itself. Some reached into their pockets, some simply returned a sympathetic glance and a sorry, while others dared not meet the stare of a homeless person asking them to spare some change? Some were more fascinated by the preaching of animated religious activists perched atop soapboxes in the Diag, the same area where they might have witnessed a public display of same-sex affection at the annual Kiss-In sponsored by LGBTonthestepsoftheHarlan Hatcher Gradu- ate Library. To some, these scenes were unsettling, but to others they were Book in hand, a student relaxes under a tree next to the corner of State Street and North Univer- sity Avenue. Both students and visitors took advantage of the scenic campus. photo by Lauren Proux 32 I Ann Arborites