PAGE 4
CampusLife
FEBRUARY 24, 2014
|
NORTHERN-IOWAN.ORG
|
CAITIE PETERSON CAMPUS LIFE EDITOR PETERCAP@UNI.EDU
VOLUME 110, ISSUE 39
Awareness week to educate students RILEY COSGROVE Staff Writer
Students and faculty at UNI aim to bring life-threatening health issues into the spotlight though Eating Disorder Awareness Week, Feb. 24-28. Joan Thompson, health educator, is the organizer of the events and has been in charge of it for over 25 years. “I feel very passionate about this event and want to educate people about eating disorders, whether they are struggling with one or know someone who is struggling and want to have access to resources in order to help themselves or someone else,” Thompson said. “This is an issue that
affects many people, especially on college campuses.” An eating disorder panel discussion, “Walking a Thin Line,” will be held Feb. 27. It will feature people who struggle with eating disorders and health professionals discussing the issues people with eating disorders face. The panel will also discuss what to say to someone who has signs of an eating disorder, how to support someone who is currently getting help for an eating disorder, what you can do to prevent eating disorders, where someone who is struggling with an eating disorder can get help and how our own beliefs and attitudes can unknowing-
ly reinforce the behavior of someone struggling with an eating disorder. The discussion will take place 4-5 p.m. in Room 247 of the Schindler Education Center. “Eating disorders have the highest rate of mortality of any mental illness, and I want people to know that this is a serious disease, and I hope the panel and discussion will help give people the resources to get help if they are struggling,” Thompson said. “Eating disorders are so much more than food.” According to the International Journal of Eating Disorders, 91 percent of women surveyed on a col-
continued from page 1
WANT TO JOIN UNI RISE? Go to facebook.com/uscriwaterloo for more information.
In a survey done in 2001 by the American Journal of Psychiatry, an estimated 10-15 percent of people with anorexia or bulimia are male. Additionally, men are less likely to seek treatment for eating disorders because of the perception that they are “women’s diseases,” according to the American Psychological Association. “It does not matter what shape or size someone may be, eating disorders can affect anyone, and if people are more aware of eating disorders and are educated about eating disorder prevention, it could potentially save a lot of people from struggling,” Thompson said.
PANTHER PORTRAITS: MILITARY BALL
REFUGEES
Every week, approximately 20 students and about 15 tutors meet at the First Methodist Church. However, with the weather getting warmer and many potential new students coming, they would like to have more tutors from UNI who are willing to help. “Try to imagine doing your taxes or a job application or anything like that without knowing English,” Soppe said. Even though the concept may be difficult, most of the students enjoy coming every week to learn. “I like this class very much,” said one of the refugees who attends the tutoring sessions. “This tutoring class provides us to learn individually and we too can ask whatever we don’t know. I have improved a lot and I am more confident of learning and speaking English. I love it!” The names of refugees have been withheld for political reasons.
lege campus had attempted to control their weight through dieting; 22 percent dieted often or always and 35 percent of “normal dieters” progress to pathological dieting. Of those, 20-25 percent progress to partial or full-syndrome eating disorders. In another survey, of 185 female students on a college campus, 58 percent felt pressure to be a certain weight. Of the 83 percent that dieted for weight loss, 44 percent were of normal weight, according to the Nutrition Journal. Contrary to popular belief, women are not the only people who struggle with eating disorders.
CASSIDY NOBLE/Northern Iowan
Cadi Trask, freshman health promotion major, tutors an anonymous Burmese refugee. Trask is a member of UNI RISE, a group that helps refugees learn English.
ERIN KEISER/Northern Iowan
NISG President Thomas Madsen dines at the military ball Saturday night. The ball was hosted by the Department of Military Science and the ROTC.
CASSIDY NOBLE/Northern Iowan
Alicia Soppe, a tutor with UNI RISE, assists Burmese refugees at First Methodist Church in Waterloo. About 60 refugees have taken advantage of the program since October.
ERIN KEISER/Northern Iowan
NISG President Thomas Madsen jokes with a friend at the military ball. Around 200 guests from the surrounding area attended the ball at the PIPAC Event Center in Cedar Falls.