The UF chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) is collaborating with the DEBUNKIFY and stand campaigns to provide tobacco-prevention activities for The University of Findlay campus. The campaign created by PRSSA launched in the fall and will continue through the beginning of May when team members will present their campaign to a panel of judges in Cincinnati.

The UF PRSSA team will hold a Kick Butts Challenge Wednesday, April 2.

Teams will include four to six people and will participate in a series of events such as human spheres, got-to-go racers, Hollywood squares and cliff hanger.

Teams will compete to win a $500 cash prize. To sign up, visit debunkify.com/findlay or e-mail Robin Bennington, president of UF’s PRSSA chapter, at benningtonr@findlay.edu.

Over the past six years, the Ohio Tobacco Prevention Foundation (OTPF) and Northlich Inc. have successfully educated Ohioans ages 12 to 17 on the dangers of tobacco use through their youth-led tobacco counter-marketing campaign branded “stand.” In July 2006, Northlich and OTPF launched DEBUNKIFY, to draw attention to the audience’s decision not to use tobacco.

DEBUNKIFY and other tobacco-use-reduction efforts have become increasingly effective at countering tobacco marketing. As more attention has centered on the tobacco companies’ manipulative marketing practices, the tobacco industry has intensified its focus on the youngest demographic it can market to legally: 18- to 24-year-olds, particularly on college campuses.

As a result, 18- to 24-year-old Ohioans have significantly higher smoking rates than the general population (according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

This year, the UF campaign hopes to educate students on tobacco modeling — learning and imitating through observing the behavior of others.

“I think everything we see and do influences who we are and what we want to accomplish. That’s why I think it is important to educate students on how influential tobacco modeling really is,” said Bennington.

For more information on the Kick Butts Challenge and the stand and DEBUNKIFY campaigns, visit debunkify.com/findlay or contact Bennington at benningtonr@findlay.edu.