E-Cigarette Use at UT Tyler

There exists a general consensus that smoking cigarettes on a regular basis leads to long-term decline in one's health. According to the Center for Disease Control, smoking regularly increases the risk for coronary heart disease, lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, and it causes more than 480,000 deaths in the United States every year. A common response to these risks for smokers is to go cold turkey, use nicotine gum or patches, and other methods to ween off the harmful aspects of cigarettes. A more common approach as of late, however, is the use of e-cigarettes.

Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, are battery-powered devices that simulate tobacco smoking through the production of a vapor, similar to smoke from a cigarette or a cigar. It contains an atomizer, a heating element that vaporizes a liquid and creates the vapor. The liquid can be purchased at specialized stores, and it may or may not contain a mixture of nicotine. The use of the nicotine is to supplement the nicotine found in common cigarettes, while avoiding the main health risks carried in normal cigarette smoking.

There is currently a debate over the use of e-cigarettes, including the benefits and risks that come with their continued use, along with their use in public settings, such as in universities. Given that their use contains a risk of nicotine addiction, which is normal for those who previously smoked cigarettes. However, the possible nicotine addiction warrants government regulation, as seen with last month's announcement of new FDA regulations on the advertising and sale for their use. On a smaller scale, various organizations, schools, universities, and public buildings have began regulating their use as well. For example, Smith County announced that e-cigarette use is prohibited within and outside county facilities, such as court houses and government offices. Some universities in the United States, such as Northern Arizona University, bans their use within campus buildings, while other universities, such as UT Tyler, regulates their use in certain buildings and classrooms.


At UT Tyler, the use of e-cigarettes is regulated on a building-by-building basis. For example, the University Center bans their use within the building, as well as in adjacent buildings. Other buildings, such as the Business Building, allows their use at the discretion of the teacher/professor teaching a class. I personally have had only one professor tell me that I cannot use my e-cigarette in a class, but the others allow my continued use on the condition that it does not disturb the other students in the class. However, if a certain college within the university wanted to ban their use, it would affect the entire building in which they are housed.

This might change in the near future, as there is the discussion within the UT Tyler Administration to ban their use throughout the whole campus, much like other universities have mandated. This could easily occur as soon as the Fall of 2014, but that solely depends on if the administration believes their use within classrooms and other parts of campus buildings is a detriment to students and faculty. If you commonly use e-cigarettes at UT Tyler, be mindful that this change may come within the next few months.

I still have a laptop!

Last Thursday, I took a long, spur of the moment road trip to Lubbock. For those of you who don't know, that's nearly an 8 hour drive from  UT Tyler. So, in order to make it on time, I went to my first class- Creative Writing - then I hit the road! I wasn't necessarily rushed, because I had enough time to get there.  I was just being very aware of my time.

I was about 1 hour down the road when I realized that I had left my laptop in my classroom in the Business Building! It also happened to be between 12-1, AKA Lunch Hour, when I had this realization. I knew that I couldn't turn around to go get it, so I just hoped that it would still be plugged into the wall where someone could go get it for me!

My mom called me when she was headed back to campus, and I quickly explained what had happened. She was a huge help, and went and found my computer still plugged into the wall - exactly where I left it! I felt SO lucky and relieved, because there had been 2 classes in that room since mine had ended! This was definitely not an ideal situation, but I then made it to Lubbock safely, and my computer traveled home with my mom. 

So, I know that I will be MUCH more conscious of my belongings from now on, and I hope that you will do the same!  

Movie-Viewing Entertainment

So, it's definitely getting to be that time in the semester when everyone is stressing out. Mid-terms are causing a campus-wide panic, and we realize that we really DO need to study and pass these classes! Luckily, if you LOVE going to the movies (like me), Tyler has plenty of options for your trip to the theater.

There are several movies that are currently out in theaters that I want to see! Just yesterday I crossed one off of the list when I got to see Pitch Perfect, and it was absolutely HILARIOUS! :) If you think the preview looks funny, then you have to go see this movie! You will have done a work out from laughing so much after this movie, and it would definitely be an awesome study-break.

Other movies that are currently in the theater that I want to see are: Here Comes The Boom, Perks of Being a Wallflower, Seven Psychopaths, Taken 2, and Trouble With The Curve.

My personal favorite movie theater in Tyler is Times Square Cinema. They have good prices, a student price (must have valid and current student ID), and they are pretty close to UT Tyler! (Here is a list of all of their promos/deals).

Well there you have it! You can probably learn a lot about someone by what movies they like/want to see. :)

New Kid on the Blog

My name is Kathryn Howell (Kat), and I am the new kid on the blog! Just to put a face with the name:

This was my "excited face" on the first day of school at UT Tyler this semester!

I am a senior General Studies and transient student at UT Tyler! This is my first and last semester here, because I will graduate from Henderson State University in December.

This was a very last minute (and certifiably insane) decision, but I knew that it was the right one from the moment I began the application process. All of the directions were clear and thorough, the faculty were friendly and helpful, and I was admitted in no time! Now that the semester has started, I am immersed in my very interesting classes and all of the homework that comes along with them.

Campus Community

UT Tyler is a wonderful school tucked in the forests of East Texas. We have one of the most beautiful campuses I have ever been to and I truly enjoy getting to spend so much time here. When you are a college student your school becomes your home. I know you may be thinking to yourself “self, wouldn’t your apartment become your home?” To that I respond, nay nay. You spend so much time in class (anywhere from 12 to 18 or more hours a week), then you have to come back for projects, and studying in the library, then you eat here (because you are already here), then you have organization meetings you have to go to, and if you work on campus… you get the point. Your campus literally turns into a community to you. You have your buildings with familiar faces and places that you NEVER go into (for me that would be the engineering building). On holidays I am reminded of this, and although I am a bitter single, Valentine’s Day is actually a widely celebrated holiday. So on campus today we had a bake sale, many of the offices made treats, and flowers coupled with plush animals were scattered all around campus. Because our campus is smaller I know people in the organization that had a bake sale, I know administrative staff in the offices that had treats and many of my friends received these wonderful gifts. I know these people and it is great to get offered some of these tasty treats on amazing holidays like this! It is an amazing opportunity to be involved in a campus that gives you this opportunity. I encourage everyone to be involved in some sort of community while in college whether that is in college or it is your college itself. 

Snooze Please!

Waking up this morning, I realized how glad I was to live right across the street from campus. I woke up still sleepy as ever, looked at my time, and hit the snooze button to get 5 more minutes of sleep. The problem? I hit it three times. If I lived a bit father from school, I could not afford to do that. From the time it would take the get the car and drive here and also find a parking spot and park, I would be late. I simply had to rush a bit on the rest of my morning activities, cross the street, and walk quickly to class. In-fact, I was still a couple minutes early.