EMBARGOED UNTIL MARCH 10, 2014 Media Contacts: Sean-Patrick King, (985) 788-4689, Sking47@lsu.

edu LSUs Fresh Campus/Smoking Words Awarded $500 Baton Rouge, Louisiana (March 10, 2014) LSUs Fresh Campus/Smoking Words student organization was awarded a $500 grant by Tobacco Free Kids to support Kick Butts Day activities. Kick Butts Day is scheduled to be held on March 19, 2014, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on the Journalism Buildings patio. In the chance of rain the event will be moved indoors to the Journalism Buildings Holliday Forum. Tobacco Free Kids a nation-wide campaign to reduce tobacco use awarded the grant so Fresh Campus/Smoking Words could host a crawfish boil tailgate during Kick Butts Day in order to raise awareness for the health issues caused by chewing tobacco. Chewing tobacco also commonly causes problems during LSU Baseball games. After the Kick Butts Day celebration ends, LSU Baseball will compete against South Alabama at 6:30 p.m. in Alex Box Stadium. Fresh Campus/Smoking Words mission is to educate students about the health and financial toll associated with tobacco use, to monitor tobacco use in all areas of campus and to advocate for positive policy and social change in the environment to reduce exposure to secondhand smoke. Kick Butts Day is a national day of activism that empowers youth to stand out, speak up and seize control against Big Tobacco. Manship School of Mass Communication Public Relations students will be combining with Fresh Campus/Smoking Words student organization to host the event. Kick Butts Day will be a celebration of LSUs progress in becoming a tobacco-free campus due to Louisiana Act 211 which requires all Louisiana colleges to have a smoke-free policy in place by August 2014. We want to make Kick Butts Day a major event at LSU because everyone needs to be more aware of the toll tobacco use takes on Louisiana 6,500 adult deaths and $1.4 billion spent treating tobacco-related diseases annually, said Fresh Campus/Smoking Words president Derick Bercegeay.