Contact: Public Relations
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Florida Southern receives grant from 
Florida Department of Health, 
Division of Health Awareness and Tobacco

LAKELAND, Fla. (Feb. 4, 2003) - Florida Southern staff members Tom Hall, director of community relations; Kelly Roberts, senior director of Hollis Wellness Center; and Dr. Mavra Kear, assistant professor of nursing, received an award in January from the Florida Department of Health, Division of Health Awareness and Tobacco. The $18,200 award will fund tobacco prevention and reduction programs at FSC. 

The award is part of the Florida College Advocacy Initiative underwritten by monies distributed from the 1997 Florida Tobacco Settlement. The Student Tobacco Reform Initiative: Knowledge for Eternity (STRIKE) raises awareness about tobacco issues on college campuses, engages in the policy process, and supports cessation efforts in the community by developing innovative programs and activities. 

"I am delighted to see a smoking prevention program at FSC," said Kear. "According to past research, nearly 11 percent of college students smoke for the first time after they come to college. We need to remind students that they are not invincible and that smoking is addictive and has lifelong health consequences." 

FSC students will deliver messages about the dangers of smoking at the MOC SmokeOut carnival on Feb. 22 and through sponsoring intramural soccer team jerseys bearing the message that students should "kick butts" to Strike Out Smoking. 

About Florida Southern College
Florida Southern is a four-year, private, co-educational liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The college offers more than 40 undergraduate majors and a master of business administration degree accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Located in Lakeland, Fla., the college is home to the largest, single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture in the world.

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