Inesd.is. September^ ! Hay September 20. 2' 2000 AGGIELIFE Page 5A THE BATTALION to i) a n <1 SweK ^ e V a Warning: Cigarettes may result in emphysema, cancer and camaraderie ■Hk y Stuart Hutson Wjt Battalion Ii was not long ago that smoking was glo- fied. It was difficult to find a movie or tele- sion series in which the lead character did “otllight up and, with a smarmy charm, in- alf and exhale curling streams of smoke to lake him or her seem like the sexiest being constructing shit:J| ie planet. ' anc * exploding^: Everywhere, people lit up to re-enact this nage. Smoking was welcomed in bars, play is greatint:.» s J auran t Sj homes and even in the class- - an st * c ^ 10 any )ohis and residence halls of Texas A&M. this unabashed:;: Professors tell tales of classrooms of yore, ment makes it fcofokre students would unceremoniously puff keep up. creatin. creating a cloud of smoke so dense that it times. ie[professor could not read the clock on the ics are good, anc ac i wall ckward cameras t hose days are over. In the ’70s and '80s, ter true Spidey f relations that smoking can result in cancer oves to lie a bre; n d emphysema caused a scare, and rebellion amers looking ft gah nst smokers became so severe and ook game to pla; weeping that anyone who refused to put own that pack of Marlboros was treated like RubenD cbmmunist during the McCarthy era. ®>ince then, student smokers living in res- Jehce halls have been forced to huddle out- ide their halls to en joy their favorite cancer- nducing product in the companionship of ither tobacco industry patrons. In this exile, a strange bond is formed. . “A smoker can almost always find a friend in another smoker,” said Michael Wagner, a senior English major. “If you see someone else who is smoking, you can just go up to them and talk. “Like the other day, I was sitting in the Kettle (restaurant), and I needed to borrow someone’s lighter. Well, I asked, and it turned out that we just sat and BS‘d for a while. It’s not the same in the nonsmoking section. You don’t ask, ‘Hey, can I borrow your fork.’ ” Places convenient for smoking quickly become havens for miniature societies. Al coves or benches in close proximity to resi dence halls, apartments or classrooms be come meeting places where new friendships are formed and maintained. "There was a bench out near Hobby Hall where a set of girls would always sit at weird hours of the night; we called them the Hob by six-pack,” said Joseph Hammon, a senior economics major.Wagner said a similar set ting can be found outside the John R. Block er Building. "There is a little cove in front of the build ing with three benches,” he said. “I always go there if I have a little time before class because I know there will be another smoker there I can hang out or have a discussion with.” Nothing can break this bond, at least tem porarily, like a visit from parents. “Whenever somebody’s parents come into town, the person is always like, ‘Don’t offer me a cigarette and pretend like 1 don^t know you,’ because they don’t want their parents to know that they smoke,” said Jen* niter Duncan, a freshman anthropology ma jor. “I don’t know why. I guess the parents would see it as being irresponsible.” One big advantage of being forced outside! to smoke is that it often allows for time to ap preciate the small pleasures of the outdoors. “Most people just rush inside the build ings to their class, but once you are sitting in the classroom or in the hall, the only thing you are thinking about is the test or home work for that day,” Wagner said. “Smokers will take a few minutes to take the last few drags off their cigarettes and, in the mean while, appreciate the weather or take a look around on a sunny day.” Those lying in bed on the fourth floor of their residence halls may not | look forward to the view outside, however, after they go through the ef fort of climbing down three flights of stairs. “Smokers should have first call on first-floor rooms,” said Jerry Haire, a 7 7 fli . 7 ike the modem Rf >p-notch and battl; the plot does not. of the plot is then ystical items. The with cross-dimer ic distortions and e and space. These; ing, but one hast ■ so little of the er min world makes- not stand as one| e of the better gar rade: B) —KyleV: = averagi Actual size of phone. Actual size of rebate. ^ Zoom m for this great offer. 11 2000 lota krszak ta i to ergast :za is t lompson Tucker alton od ght igler aru/time minutes $257month In honor of the Texaco/Havoline Grand Prix, get a $100 rebate on the Motorola StarTAC™ phone. TEXACO Havoline T5it, OF HOUSTON SEPT. 29 - OCT. 1, 2000 Race in today and race out with a cool $100 rebate on one of the hottest phones around, the Motorola StarTAC^ when you activate Houston Cellular service. Plus, you’ll receive a free leather case with each phone purchased. While you’re at it, get 200 minutes (including no long distance from Texas) for just $25 a month with the Great Rates of Texas! M Need more minutes? We have plenty of plans to fit any budget. But you better step on it, these phones are going fast. Then again, what else would you expect from an official sponsor of the Texaco/Havoline Grand Prix? sopbomorc computer science major. "We’re the opes that go outside the most; plus, rtonsrnokers can handle going up Lite stairs better anyway.” Some, however, use'this constant ascent and descent to thdr benefit. jCAre you f tdding? Imokmg is thajonly thing that keeps me in shape right now. .. 1 live,On the fourth floor,Tltid Michael Kemp, I a freshman computer engineemig major. 1 .'V', i Of course, smoking has its downsides, like cancer. smeHing bad, emphysenla. fetal deJfejntc. But most college-age snlrk^s haVe apian to quit ut some p®nt, “When I don’t enjoy cigarettes, 1 will quit — probably sometime after college,” Hammon said. \ “Until that, I just remember what Dennis Leary said, ‘Sure, smoking takes 10 years off your life, but those years are the years at the end that 1 wouldn't want anyway.’ ” (fioushm cellular^ Coming through again and again” 1-800-826-7626 • www.houstoncellular.com • Corporate business customers call 1-888-389-0331 Bn/an College Station 1801 Briarcrest Dr. Post Oak Mall (Corner of Briarcrest & 29th) (Folei/'s Court-Kiosk) 979/777-7000 979/229-7000 'Credit approval, one year contract and digital activation required. Plans do not include taxes, long distance, third parti/ charges and related fees, roaming charges, reimbursement for governmental surcharges and initial credit processing fee. /Ta\ The digital phone must be activated with Houston Cellular between luh/ 31, 2000 and September 30, 2000. 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Saturdays (10 - 5) c^= THIS WEEKEND ONLY =§? September 23rd & 24th at the AGGIE MEMORIAL BOOGIE skydiving event at Coulter Field in Bryan! Experience the thrill of a 60 second freefall tandem skydive with a certified instructor during this very special Aggie skydiving reunion! RESERVATIONS REQUIRED - LIMITED SLOTS CALL FOR INFORMATION & RESERVATIONS 281-561-]UMP All skydiving participants must b