The Faculty of Nursing Science believes that the health of our students and staff is of utmost importance to ensure a healthy mind in a healthy body. It is true that both governmental and non governmental agencies have made tremendous efforts to deter people from smoking. Yet, with all the warnings and statistics on the adverse effect of smoking, large numbers of people still fall to this deadly trap.

20 February 2002 marked another "D" day for the students and the staff of Assumption University. It was the day that the N.O.T. (Not On Tobacco) Project was formally launched with a blessing from our beloved President, Rev. Bro. Martin P. Komlomas.

The launching of the N.O.T. Project may be taken as a drop in the huge ocean. However, it was felt that no matter how small and insignificant this effort may be, it was hoped that doing something is better than doing nothing.

The day began with a pageant procession at 8.30 a.m. from C Building to the Dr. Choop Plaza. Leading the march was the band from Klong Kacha School. The musicians of the band consisted of very young pupils whose average age is 11 years old. Behind the band we saw familiar faces, leading in front was Dr. Chavalit Meenunch, Vice President for Administration; Dr. Narong Chomchalow, Editor AU Journal of Technology; A. Sirianan Chutatamee, Dean of the School of Nursing Science, Dr. Nanthaphan Chinlumprasert, Assoc. Dean of the Faculty of Nursing Science, together with a number of nursing instructors and students. It was indeed a very impressive procession which displayed placards, banners, and models high-lighting the danger of smoking.

The Campaign was an outcome of a project envisaged by the Social Action Committee of the Faculty of Nursing Science with A. Gregory S. Kharmalki, as the Chairperson.

The project was initiated by a committee consisting of A. Wanita Intaburan, Dr. Prapawan Praewanich, and A. Gregory S. Kharmalki as the members; and Dean Sirianan Chutatamee and Dr. Nanthaphan Chinlumprasert as the advisers. AU nursing instructors and students will take up the tasks of implementing it with active support from the Nursing Student Council.

The main objectives of the N.O.T. Project were to: (i)discourage non-smokers from even trying to smoke, (ii)disseminate knowledge on the various aspects of adverse effects from smoking through health education, seminars, and other efforts, (iii) provide support to smokers through self-help group, (iv) help smokers who want to quit smoking to cease smoking completely, and (v) train success smoking-cessation students to become facilitators to those who are yet to quit smoking.