EDAW aims for body awareness
The Student Health Peer
Educators will run a booth this
week to inform students about
eating disorders
Aimee Rudin
Family/Health/Education Reporter
Monday marked the first day of
National Eating Disorder Awareness
Week, a time for people to learn
more about diseases such as anorex
ia nervosa, the No. 1 killer of all psy
chological disorders.
The Student Health Peer Educa
tors will staff a booth in the EMU to
provide information about eating
disorders throughout the week, and
the University Counseling and
Testing Center has posted educa
tional bulletin boards in student
residence halls.
This year’s EDAW theme is “Lis
ten to Your Body,” and focuses on
tips for eating a healthy balance of
foods, recognizing personal hunger
needs, and accepting the natural di
versity of body shapes and sizes.
Dr. Brooks Morse, staff psycholo
gist and eating disorder specialist at
the counseling and testing center,
said she hopes this year’s EDAW
will help students learn to listen to
their body’s messages and needs,
rather than foeusing on numbers
on a scale.
“Health is based on more than
numbers and weight — it’s more
complicated than that,” Morse said.
“Women and men need to be more
aware of their overall health. Weight
is the No. 1 thing people look at as
far as health, but there are many
other factors that determine if some
one is healthy or not.”
The National Eating Disorders As
sociation estimates 5 to 10 million
post-pubescent girls and women and
one million post-pubescent boys and
men struggle with eating disorders
including anorexia, bulimia, binge
eating disorder or borderline condi
tions. Most of these cases go uniden
tified and untreated.
“I think that many people be
lieve that eating disorders are diag
nosed by body appearance and that
if (someone) doesn’t look a certain
way, very thin for example, they do
not have an eating disorder,” Morse
said. “This is one of the reasons
that Eating Disorders Awareness
Week is so important. Many people
may have characteristics of an eat
ing disorder and do not know it.”
Eating disorders often develop dur
ing times of transition with peak
onset occurring during puberty and
lasting into early adulthood, ac
cording to University counselors.
The move from high school to col
lege may often be enough to trigger
an eating disorder in an individual
that is already dealing with disor
Common eating disorder symptoms
Anorexia Nervosa is
characterized by seif-starvation
and excessive weight loss.
Symptoms include:
■ Refusal to maintain a weight at
or above the minimally normal
weight for height and age
■ intense fear of weight gai n
»Distorted body image
■ Loss of three consecutive
menstrual periods (in women
only)
Bulimia Nervosa is characterized
by a secretive cycle of binge
eating followed by purging.
Symptoms include:
■ Repeated episodes of
bingeing and purging
■ Purging after a binge
(vomiting, use of laxatives, diet
pills, diuretics, excessive
exercise or fasting)
■ Frequent dieting
Binge Eating Disorder is
characterized by episodes of
binge eating but without
compensatory behaviors such
as purging, fasting or
excessive exercise.
Source: National Eating Disorders
Association
dered eating — skipping meals, de
pression or the like.
“Eating or not eating becomes a
way of coping,” University Coun
selor and Eating Disorder Specialist
Lori Bernstein said. “At the counsel
ing center, we take an individual ap
proach and work with students to
help bring a stronger sense of self
and discover new and more effective
ways of coping with many of the
overwhelming feelings that come up
as we mature.”
If you notice a friend with symp
toms or warning signs of an eating
disorder, it is important to ap
proach them openly and honestly
about your concerns, according to
an Eating Disorders Awareness and
Prevention Inc. spokeswoman.
Don’t try to force anyone to change
his or her behavior.
For more information about eat
ing disorders or EDAW, contact the
University Counseling Center at
346-3227 or the National Eating
Disorders Association at (800)
931-2237.
Contact the reporter
at aimeerudin@dailyemerald.com.
NSU to present wide range of resources
The fair highlights resources
and opportunities available for
nontraditional students while
helping form connections
Chelsea Duncan
Freelance Reporter
The Nontraditional Student Union
will host a resource fair today and
Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
on the EMU Concourse to expose
students, especially nontraditional
students, to services and resources
available to them.
Representatives from various
campus organizations, including the
Women’s Center, Academic Learn
ing Services, Academic Advising and
the Spencer View Co-op Family
Center, will have information tables
at the fair, which is titled “The Faces
of Nontraditional Students.” The
event will display what NSU Director
Steven Bums called “our rainbow of
support” for nontraditional students.
“We get connections with people
who are willing to help,” he said.
Students can get information
about student services and schedule
appointments with service
providers. The event will also feature
pictures of nontraditional students
as well as some of their artwork.
Senior Frances Bonner said she
will exhibit her artwork, including a
bracelet, drawings and sculpture.
She said the NSU has aided her jour
ney toward graduation with services
like free tutoring in math and writ
ing. As a nontraditional student, she
said she is glad she took her time in
school because it allowed her to fig
ure out what she wanted to get out of
the University.
“I was able to explore and find
out what I really wanted to do,”
Bonner said.
Brenda Tuomi, coordinator of
nontraditional student programs at
the Office of Student Life, said the
resource fair will allow nontradition
al students to meet faculty, staff and
other students, and vice versa.
“It makes their experience here
on campus better,” she said.
She said nontraditional students,
who are generally older than 24,
have jobs, caretaker responsibilities
and may be married, do not realize
there are many others like them on
campus. According to Burns, the
NSU, located on the ground floor of
the EMU, was formed about 10 years
ago to respond to these needs.
If students feel they are nontradi
tional, they can fill out a self-identifi
cation card found in the NSU office
and get connected with other stu
dents like them.
Chelsea Duncan is a freelance writer
for the Emerald.
Spring 2003 Classes
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Bl 407
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J 399
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•10:00- 11:50 U
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PSY 410
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A GOOD MATCH I
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