Love Your Body Week message inclusive and unbiased
As many of you are aware, the University Counseling Center recently hosted a “Love Your Body Week” on campus. This event was a comprehensive action and awareness program that included mindful eating and exercise classes open to all, and informational sessions on providing social support to friends and family. In our view, we designed the event to be as inclusive as possible and presented a range of topics implicating the body image issues that people share. We believe our central message throughout the event, which is, namely, to LOVE YOUR BODY is universal and not fractured between race and gender lines. In other words, our message applies regardless of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, or nationality. That being said, we recognize there are special concerns for reaching out to traditionally underrepresented classes, including but not limited to ethnic minorities and the LGBT population. We addressed these concerns during “Love Your Body Week” by hosting a “Women of Color Weigh-in” and by continuing to provide resources for the LGBT community at the Counseling Center. As you can imagine, it is nearly impossible to address the special concerns of each affected class in so short a time period, but we attempted to compensate for this by allowing open and active dialogue and questions from all attendees. The Counseling Center has never attempted to portray body image issues as predominantly affecting one race or gender and that was certainly not our intention during “Love Your Body Week.”
In the interest of hosting more events that continue to be representative of Towson University, we invite interested student organizations to actively participate in the planning and consultation for future programs. We invite everyone from the Towson community to learn more about services offered at the counseling center by visiting our website http://www.towson.edu/counseling/.
Deanna Ashkebouss
Senior
speech-language pathology
family studies
Eating Disorder Outreach Committee dedicated to diversity and collaboration
Love Your Body Week is an inclusive event with programs that address a wide range of student interests and needs, from exercise/nutrition to body image/eating disorders. Body image and eating issues affect a wide variety of students. Unfortunately, the media contributes to the myth that only heterosexual Caucasian women experience these concerns. This past Thursday, a large group of students attended the “Women of Color Weigh-In” to dialogue about the media, culture and body image. While LYBW did not offer a program specific to men and the LGBT community this year, students from these populations would have benefitted from many of the programs as each workshop addressed diverse needs. “Friends Don’t Let Friends Fat Talk” addressed unhealthy conversations about body that occur in all types of relationships including LGBTQ relationships. “Mindful Eating and Nutrition for Exercise Performance” challenged nutrition myths that may lead students to emotional eating and dieting. The audience at each of the programs was diverse and the programs were positively reviewed.
The Eating Disorder Outreach Committee and The Counseling Center are committed to diversity as shown through our many collaborations with student groups, and the Center for Student Diversity. For example, last spring we offered “Body Image and Relationships” and “Mindful Eating” programs to the Queer Student Union. This spring, National Eating Disorders Awareness Week includes a program that examines eating disorders among gay men. I invite Phylicia to attend a LYBW event in the future and am confident that the programs will challenge her misperceptions.
Towson University Eating Disorder Outreach Committee
Smoke-free campus plan needs further thought by administration
I have been reading about the smoke-free campus idea in the paper, and while I feel it is great as a whole, we need to look at it on a smaller level. As I walk around campus, I repeatedly see people smoking within the 30-foot radius near the doors. It gets especially bad when it rains and people stand under the overhangs by Linthicum and Hawkins Hall, staying dry while they smoke. Who is enforcing the 30-foot rule now? If the school is not able to enforce the 30-foot rule, then how are they planning to enforce the smoking rule when it becomes campus wide? Towson needs to seriously consider how they are going to carry out their plan before they actually start kicking people off campus for taking a puff. Those people will be back in fifteen minutes sitting on a bench with no one to tell them otherwise.
Jessica Watson
Senior
elementary education
Letters to the Editor - 10/29
Published: Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Updated: Wednesday, October 28, 2009
1 comments
Non smoker
its a substantial fine.... its hard to tell someone o this is 30 feet dont go past this line or ill be back.... With no smoking on campus if a police officer is patrolling anywhere on campus and witnesses someone smoking they simply issue a warning or citation depending on the situation there is no measuring etc. Much more simple than the policy is now.
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