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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 25, 2003)
. NEWS THE BATTALIO: rvice fee tinned from pagel ;it Services. That year,tl i recommended a 2 percti ike, Oroza said, ic MSC is the largest recip. i student service feemo», cting about $2.5 t beneficiaries inclrnt ■nt Counseling Service million). Student Life(Jl, m). Multicultural Service i,000) and the Studs rnment Associatioi 1,000). udents can vote Wednesdii hursday from 9 a.m.i» at the MSC. Stude cation Center, Eva ry, the Blocker Bu Campus Library orolu p://vote.tamu.edu. c fee tinned from page! g this fee,” said Dam: n, president of the Gradtiat it Council, e GSC, after listening igton make his case for ke last week, passed a re» urging students to vot the proposal, rrington said the recreate rts department would need! :e hike every three yearst inflation and new initiate dents approve the increas eek. the weight roomexp» c expected to be complex lK)6, and the Penbeit don will be done by 2001 idem worker wage increas e necessary, Corringlci because the departmenu z difficulty recruiting ig students in skilled poa- such as medics, aerolu ctors and intramural ol With about 1,000 studei rs, the recreational sped ment is the largest studei yer on campus, dents can vote Feb. 26-21 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at rial Student Center, the Rec \ Evans Library, Wes as Library, the Block! ig and the West Campis /. Students can also vote or ernet at http://vote.tamu.ei rington said the new se would generate revenuf ruble to the revenue e recreation fee t 1 'sity of Texas at t 70 percent of students® ;c Center at least once er, Corrington said. ALIGN n Chief el Crow, Sports Editor lackson, Sci/Teck Editor ivas, Photo Editor DeLuna, Graphics Editor rown, Radio Producer bmaster Monday through Friday during® day during the summer session 4M University. Periodicals Postagf iddress changes to The Battalion, 843-1111. rdents at Texas A&M Univeisityin of Journalism. News offices are in >-3313; Fax: 845-2647; E-mail: onsorship or endorsement byH* tising, call 845-2696. Forclassi- 015 Reed McDonald, and office 145-2678. 5 each Texas A&M student tepid al copies 254. Mail subscriptions ;r, $17.50 for the summer or erican Express, call 845-2611 l2r ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ e to listen Karen Severn sieve Simcik urement and Research David Martin irch and Graduate ss dichael Buckley Danyelle Garrett ersitv Writing Center falerie Balester Vndrew Jenkins en’s Center 3renda Bethman ch Communication susan Gilbertz graduate Advising ferri Burger Aggielife The Battalion Page 3 • Tuesday, February 25, 2003 Distorted Realities ! Eating disorders distort their victims' physical and emotional perspectives By Jena Honeycutt THE BATTALION After the death of a close friend, a student who prefers to be known as Jane said she didn’t eat for a month and a half and survived only by drinking orange juice. Jane said she used her eat ing disorder as a comfort from the out side world. “Even though the reasons I starved myself and indulged myself were to gain some control of the world and peo ple in my life for just a moment,” she said, “I ended up losing control over my body and my perception of life.” Eating Disorders Awareness Week, today through Feb. 28, was designed to educate people at Texas A&M Universityabout the dangers of eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia and binge-eating. “Eating should not be a struggle, or something you have to think about every time you sit down to a meal,” said Rhonda Rahn, a health educator at the A.P. Beutal Health Center. Rahn said a person with an eating disorder does not maintain a healthy diet and is obsessed with cutting certain foods from their diet. People can develop eating disorders as young as 6 years old to as old as 92 years old, though most people develop the disorders early in high school. An eating disorder is a learned behavior, usually picked up from family members or close friends, Rahn said. Leigh Henke, a junior community health major and health center student worker, said she knows from experience how people are influenced by their peers and relatives. “I had an 8-year-old family friend who would only eat vegetables for fear oigetting fat,” she said. “She had a strong influence from a teenage sister who was a yo-yo dieter.” Henke said she tries to be a good role model by eating what she enjoys. She said that when she goes to a restaurant and a friend complains about the fried chicken being too fatty, she will order the fried chicken to show that you can be heajthy while still occasionally indulging. After dealing with her friend’s death, Jane gradually over came her eat ing disorder. “Now, I can ' be content alone and comfortable with myself, despite a few extra pounds from lack of exercise,” she said. “I try really hard not to main tain any sort of rela tionship with my food and use it to keep healthy.” Herike said many underlying issues, other than an intense fear of becoming overweight, cause eating disor ders. Perfectionists and people exposed to traumatic situations such as death or divorce are also at a high risk for developing disorders. According to the Student Counseling Services, potential issues include a need for control, a distorted body image, a set of rigid physical standards and an inse curity with oneself and others. “Every time something bad hap- IVAN FLORES • THE BATTALION pened to me that I couldn’t change,” Jane said, “I would build a wall of pro tection using food and weight control.” According to the SCS, some short term effects of not eating properly include dizziness, disrupted sleep pat terns, weight loss and hair loss. Long-term effects on the body caused by anorexia and bulimia are severe weight loss, malnu trition, a weakened immune system, a loss of muscle mass and strength and even death. Jane said her anorexia made her so weak and life less that she , couldn’t hold herself up straight. “In all, I have loved and lost ' myself for many rea sons, all very dramat ic and trag ic,” Jane said. “But, none (were) worth I losing my health, over 30 pounds, one IPF 1 ' third of my hair, and any sort of a normal metabolism and respect for myself.” Recovery time varies, but usually takes three years, Rahn said, and relapse is extremely common. Jane said she doesn’t know if she won’t starve herself again, but each relapse gets less severe and doesn’t last as long as the previous one. She said starving herself never accomplished anything. Knowing this, she said, gives her courage to face her fears instead of masking them in an eating disorder. Rahn said many students come to her who want to know how they can help their friends or roommates. She said it is most important for people to approach their friends with a caring attitude about health instead of scrutinizing them about not eating. “It is extremely difficult to talk to a roommate,” Rhan said, “but it is imperative that you leave food out of the discussion.” To help someone with an eating disorder, the SCS advises that friends avoid calling the person with the eat ing disorder crazy, ignoring them or commenting on their weight. Friends should listen with understanding, should be supportive, and should give them hope that with professional help, they can overcome the disorder. According to the SCS, those want ing to help themselves should first admit that they have a disorder, and then tell someone they trust. The SCS will host activities throughout the week that promote eat ing disorder awareness. BATING a lS0RDER s ww SEEm K TUESDAY, Feb. 25 I Eating Disorders Discussion Panel I • 2 p.m. - 8 p m. • 301 Rudder Tower WEDNESDAY, Feb. 26 Shatter the Image: The Truth About Eating Disorders” • 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. • 281 Student Recreation Center THURSDAY, Feb. 27 "Mind, Body and Spirit Celebration” • 11 a m. - 2 p.m. • Memorial Student Center | foyer RUBEN DELUNA • THE BATTALION A Richard Gere S Drepung Loseling Production The Mystical Arts of Tibet Sacred Music Sacred Dance For World Healing Robed in Magnificent costumes and PLAYING TRADITIONAL TIBETAN INSTRUMENTS, THE Loseling monks perform ancient temple MUSIC AND DANCE FOR WORLD HEALING ...FASCINATING AND ENTERTAINING... The Chicago Tribune "A TRULY BALANCED CONCERT" Tucson Citizen '...PRIMORDIAL POOL OF SOUND THAT YOU FEEL AS MUCH AS HEAR." San Francisco Chronicle . n 1*1 8Y THE FAMED MULTIPHONIC SINGERS OF DREPUNG LOSELING MONASTERY Tuesday, February ZS 111 7:30 pm-9:30 pm Rudder Auditorium Tickets only $5, available at MSC Box Office Brought to you by MSC ACE, MSC VAC, MSC LT. Jordan Institute, MSC OPAS Voting sites: v MSC, Student Rec Center, Blocker, West Campus and Evans Library 9:00 a m. to 5:00 p.m. SPORTS reesports. tam.edi/
