Emory's quirky and annual tradition of honoring the immortal spirit of Dooley has a refreshing twist this year. The famed, unofficial mascot has given up his tobacco habit. 

Since Dooley decided to quit smoking in compliance with Emory's new tobacco-free policy, he has been listing his tips and tricks for kicking the habit on the Emory University Student Health and Counseling Services Health Promotion Facebook page at www.facebook.com/bewellexcel.

Alice Byrd, a master's of public health candidate, and Susannah Gloor, a Campus Life intern, started the initiative. Byrd said in light of Emory going tobacco-free, she was shocked to have found an image of Dooley smoking.

Dooley decided to quit smoking in compliance with Emory's new tobacco-free policy.

Heather Zesiger, director of Health Education and Promotion, led the campaign. "We thought it would be perfect to follow him on his journey to quit tobacco by Dooley's Week in order to highlight both how difficult it can be to kick the habit, and how many resources and how much support is available at Emory to help people quit," says Zesiger.

Some of Dooley's tips include, "Spring Break was great! I hit the beach, played volleyball, and swam in the ocean without huffing and puffing so much!" and "It is my first day without a cigarette. I'm really craving one, but I'm going to use one of the techniques we learned in my Freedom from Smoking class and chew gum or munch on carrot sticks instead."

Zesiger says that Dooley's journey after quitting will include posts about how he maintains his new smoke-free status in the face of the challenges, like during finals.

"I didn't even know Dooley smoked! I was quite appalled," says College sophomore Kelsi Jackson. "I'm glad this campaign has gained momentum."