Alum fights war against smoking

William Novelli founded the National Center for Tobacco Free Kids, in response to new trends. William Novelli founded the National Center for Tobacco Free Kids, in response to new trends.Liz GoldhirshWilliam Novelli founded the National Center for Tobacco Free Kids, in response to new trends.Liz GoldhirshThe Daily Pennsylvanian For many baby boomers, such an image is synonymous with their youth, love beads and a bygone era when when cigarettes still meant care-free instead of cancer. Yet in spite of increased awareness of the dangers of cigarettes, it seems college students have once again decided smoking is cool. "The stigma against smoking seems to have definitely decreased from my generation to younger ones," said Catherine McCauley, the Nursing professor who oversaw a study of 678 students about smoking on Penn's campus last year. More to the point, "Smoking is perceived as cool again," said College freshman Justine Kessler. The results of last year's survey seem to agree, as 41 percent of Penn undergraduates admitted to smoking on a regular basis. Among those students, 67 percent assumed that they would be able to quit after graduation. This assumption runs contrary to national figures, which find one of every three people who start smoking as teenagers will die early due to smoking-related causes. Not all of Penn, however, has given into the trend. In fact, Penn alumnus William Novelli, who graduated from the Annenberg School for Communication in 1964, has become a famed warrior in the battle against it. In June 1995, he founded the now highly involved and visible National Center for Tobacco Free Kids, highlighted in a front-page New York Times article last Sunday. "Our purpose is to help kids lead tobacco free lives," Novelli explained in an interview with The Daily Pennsylvanian. "Since 90 percent of new smokers begin before the age of 18, we hope that if they are discouraged at a young age they'll never start," he added. Novelli said one of the main ways he hopes to accomplish this goal is to work with the federal Food and Drug Administration, which recently sponsored legislation to regulate big tobacco -- in light of recent disclosures from the Liggett Group -- to cut down on the industry's advertising prowess. "This is a very marketing-driven industry," he said, noting that the mythic, all-American Marlborro Man has captured 60 percent of the teenage market for the company, while less conspicuous, though cheaper, generic brands are largely ignored. Hopefully, with current legislation attempting to ban cigarette adds in magazines with significant youth readership, "some of their visibility will disappear," Novelli said. But such regulation is being countered with a First Amendment argument posed by national advertising and publishing organizations, who claim a right to advertise freely. Beyond the fight to limit the advertising power of the tobacco industry, Tobacco Free Kids has also been working to publicize the purposefully addictive nature of cigarettes. "We think tobacco should be regulated as an addictive drug," Novelli said. And he added that he wants to cut down on the number of public places where smoking is allowed -- including at Penn. "It sometimes seemed that the University almost tacitly encourages smoking by allowing it in so many places, like Stouffer Dining Hall," Kessler said. Novelli conceded that his battle is often uphill, noting that many youth are lighting up as part of a backlash against the "healthiness" they've been inundated with. "I think some kids are sick of being told of what's bad for them," he said. Yet he persists in his efforts. "The potential to save lives is enormous -- 400,000 in the United States alone," he said. Another obstacle marring the dream of tobacco free kids is the permeability of unregulated foreign markets, which lie unprotected against the industry's overseas blitz. "Tobacco companies always trying to exploit new markets, especially in the developing world," Novelli said. He hopes to stay on their tail, however, by expanding his organization abroad. "We are looking into developing international branches in the next few years," he said.