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Show Westminster College of Sell U!tc City Non-prof- org it US PosUge PAID Salt Lake City, Utah Permit No 4975 VoL 32 No. 7 Dec. 7, 1934 Eating Disorders Originate from Social Stresses by Marie M. Weiss Chris, a delicate, attractive blond, prods at the lettuce of her salad with a fork, explaining that an entire head of lettuce has approximately 50 calories, and one leaf, perhaps four. Chris is an expert on food, and readily admits that for a long while it was her obsession; Chris is a victim of anorexia nervosa. For Chris and a number of other indiviudals suffering from anorexia nervosa, a condition of self starvation, or its sister affliction, bulimia, which is characterized by gorgepurge behavior, the holidays with accompanying meals and family interaction may become a time of confrontations, lies and painful anxiety. It is estimated that 25 to 33 percent of college-age- d women suffer from such eating disorders; a figure that Mark Jones, psychology professor at Westminster College, feels is fairly accurate. Anorexia seems to occur in young women, before age twenty five," said Jones, usually at a time when automony and independence are something they are striving for and at the same time there is a great fear towards that independence. Jones said that most young women suffering from anorexia and bulimia were usually characterized as the perfect little girl" while growing up. They are young girls who never caused any problems, said Jones. They are usually good at work, good at school and good at home. said, dont beat yourself up for mistakes made in the past; make new goals that are realistic and obtainable. Second, remember that you can do anything in the world you want to do, but you have to be responsible for that choice and accept whatever consequences it brings and most importantly, forgive yourself again and again and again and again. If you are a family member or a friend of someone you may think is anorexic bulimic remember that she may not realize that she has a problem, or she may rationalize her problem. Chris said that she often would eat just small portions at the holiday table, consisting mostly of salad. No one could accuse me of not eating because I was," said Chris, I could say, Look I had dinner, even though really it was mostly vege- tables." Jones said that it is important to remember that anorexicsbulimics deal with more than just an obsession with food and thinness. These problems go into feelings about relationships, feelings of inadequacies and distorted perceptions," Jones said. Its not just food thats the issue. Its feeling dumb, inadequate and these feelings encompass their lives. Continued on page 2 irr Faculty Votes tof Abolish May eon by Karin Jaffie During last months faculty meeting the Edith M. Javens, director of public inforprofessors of Westminster College voted to mation and education for the Salt Lake County school abolish May term after the 1985-8- 6 Mental Health Department, said that college year. students are vulnerable to anorexiabulimia According to Sheryl Phillips, registrar and because they are experiencing a great number of the curriculum committee, the member of changes. A student is probably living away the fact that faculty wants to end May term from home for the first time and experiencing not does mean it will stop. We necessarily her first bout of independence. She is meeting (curriculum committee) may come back and new people with values different from her to reconsider, she said. ask them is said. of A intellect new area Javens own," Many students opinions on the subject of opening up as well as new social stresses. term differ from those of the faculty. May rexia or bulimia gives her the feeling of control Full-tim- e students are given five credit hours if not over the circumstances, then at least over' to free use during May term. Most students her own body." feel the May term classes offered should inAccording to Chris, control was a major clude liberal education (LE) and other influence in the development of her anorexia, courses which can be applied to majors. I started out going on a diet,' just eating one Leslie Bennett, a nursing major, said she salad a day. When I started losing the weight I in May term in 1984 and took a participated felt that I was controlling hunger and that idea to out of the way. She said, They it get ,LE made me feel strong and even more involved should offer because everyone needs LEs with the dieting.. I started exercising and should cater more to students them. They I to counting calories, eventually cut myself needs.. 600 calories a day. I went from 128 pounds to 98 . What most students fail to realize is that pounds in one month. May term is not intended for LE and other I didnt really know I had a problem until I regular courses. According to Professor Ray realized that my entire life was becoming cenOwnbey, director of the Westminster commuof the May tered on food," Chr i3 said, I would go to bed at nications program and night and dream of food, the taste of it, the term tour of Europe, courses offered should be classes that cant be presented or presmell of it, I couldnt wait until breakfast, sesented in the same way during a which was maybe some low calorie fruit, then all day Id think about food, and exercise. I mester. May term should do something that didnt go anywhere or do anything and my cant be done during a regular semester," he relationships were suffering, she added, I said. He continued with, Courses which require was so exhausted that I didnt have emotional lot of reading or writing which is most a little to even my girl. energy give anyone, courses should not be offered during May This kind o.f obsession with food and exercise term. You need a lag time between the Monmay be difficult for an anorexicbulimic to hide day, Wednesday and Friday classes to do the while home with family members,- and can work. bring additional feelings of frustration and According to Debbie Jenkins, dean of stutension to the holidays. dents, this is the first year LEs have not been Javens suggests that the anorexic bulimic offered. The administration felt that it was not fair to those students who completed the going home for the holidays could ease some of the pressure by remembering some simple requirements in 14 weeks for another student to come along and do it in four. Jenkins said, points. Remember that today is it, Javens Its also not fair to someone using the class as a er 14-we- ek - maw.i Student s eat in SAGA cafeteria. Going home for the holida yx a uld bring additional stress tovoUege student suffering from anorexia or bulimia. prerequisite for another class. They are really not prepared for that next class." Jenkins said May term gives students a chance to slow down. Its four weeks for. enrichment, short term. May term is not for meeting degree requirements, its for enhancement; that was the initial intent. Student Kim Bowman wants more classes offered than the 42 now available. If a larger variety of classes were offered to suit the diverse needs of Westminsters students," she said, more might be interested in enrolling for May term. d Phillips pointed out that a little over of the student body takes part in May term, about 500 students. The faculty and their work loads are determined by a contract rule about teaching a certain number of semester credit hours per year and teaching two out of every three May terms. With enrollment of May term going up in the last two years, and the inclusion of LEs in course offerings due to student pressure, scheduling was unbalanced and some classes ended up according to the registrar. Art 110 last May term had 100 students in it, Phillips said. Teaching loads, the LE class overcrowding and the difficulty of trying to offer in four weeks what is usually offered in 14 weeks limits what classes can be given during May term. The curriculum committee makes recommendations on classes to the faculty as a whole. The faculty then takes their choices to the administration wheifunakes the final decisions. Its a real hierarchy, Jenkins said. Students do have representatives on the committee. Students with .strong feelings should go to their representatives, she said. Curriculum committee student representatives are Mike Pieper and Floyd George. According to Ownbey, May term is a good idea if it does what it is supposed to do. With the conflicts and disagreements arising over the scheduling and future of May term, it is difficult for many to judge whether. May term is meeting students needs or not. The curriculum committee is currently involved in discussions over what May term is and what kind of academic calendar may be ac one-thir- "jam-packe- d, cepted by all concerned, according to Phillips. The committee member said, What weve run into is: So what if we get rid of May term, then what? There are all kinds of questions that havent been considered or answered; questions the administration should address and the faculty needs to look at again. There are questions students definitely need to have input in. The curriculum committee is still in the process of redefining what May term should be. Its pretty much agreed, Phillips said, that if we have May term, then the classes should be the experimental type. But what kind of course will that be which meets our students needs? The future of May term remains to be seen. e For now, students can take up to n clasfive free Credit hours of to no with most so as ses, appeal prerequisite to all student classifications. Many classes are designed to appeal to students other than those majoring in the course area. According to Jenkins, the flowcharting class offered should interest not only computer scientists, but business and management majors as full-tim- upper-divisio- well.' In attempting to straighten out the May term situation, Phillips believes that for at least one group involved the solution will be lacking. No matter what it (the solution) is, she said, it will not be enough." Inside This Issue Overemphasis on grades pressures students page 2 Students support Floyd page 3 George ad Interconnect Adventure; Skiing five runs in one day page 4 Movie Review: Starman Blaine Forsome: Advice to grow by page 5 page 6 |