Correction appended

Every Monday at the Gingerbread Man, students breathe a little easier thanks to the non-smoking night the restaurant hosts. Those who do smoke have to resist the urge to light up until they down their last beer or finish their last fry.

Nineteen states have 100 percent smoke-free laws in all workplaces, restaurants and bars and Project SmokeLess, a student-led health advocacy group at Penn State, is trying to make Pennsylvania No. 20.

Last week, members of Project SmokeLess met with three legislators in favor of passing the Clean Indoor Air Act in Pennsylvania.

The Clean Indoor Air Act prevents people from carrying a lighted cigar, cigarette, pipe or other smoking device in all public places including restaurants, bars, and taverns, according to the Clean Air Council's Web site, www.cleanair.org.

The act can only be passed by the state, and students from Project SmokeLess are making an admirable attempt by traveling to Harrisburg. But meeting with three committee members who are already in favor of the bill is not be the best way to enact change.

According to Project SmokeLess's Web site, the group's mission is "to reduce smoking and improve the health of Penn State Students. The group works to achieve this by increasing awareness about the harmful side effects of tobacco smoke pollution and by increasing student advocacy for smoke-free environments."

If these students are really adamant about making bars and restaurants in State College completely smoke-free, they should forget about Harrisburg for now and go directly to the source: the bars.

Currently, other bars that offer smoke-free nights include Chumley's on Tuesday, Beulah's Bar Bleu on Thursdays and Zeno's on Fridays from 3 to 9 p.m., according to Project SmokeLess's Web site, www.psu.edu/dept/smokefree. There are also a handful of restaurants that are smoke-free, including Faccia Luna, Allen Street Grill, Rotelli's The Grotto and Zola New World Bistro.

With such a small number of bars offering smoke-free nights, state legislators have no reason to believe that State College even wants to be smoke-free. If members of Project SmokeLess truly believe that the borough should head in that direction, they should start dialogue with more bars and restaurants downtown about creating more smoke-free nights or becoming totally smoke-free.

The group also must be open to the idea that perhaps students don't want downtown to be smoke-free. A cigarette with a beer is a weekend staple for many Penn State students.

Creating a statewide ban of smoking in bars and restaurants will be no simple feat. If Project SmokeLess and State College are serious about change, the foundations must be set to make a statement and start change.

This editorial incorrectly stated the number of committee members the student advocacy group, Project Smokeless, met with to discuss the Clean Indoor Air Act. The group met with five committee members.