The Roundup February 2011 Edition 4
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O BESITY
Inside: Special Edition
Summit on Human Dignity starts Feb. 28
Students face risks, impacts of
Food Summit to explore nation’s ‘obesity epidemic’ as sub topic By Eric Villanueva ’11
THE ROUNDUP
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ith two-thirds of adults and one in three children nationally obese according to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services statistics, what some are calling an “obesity epidemic” is being strategized and fought against on a battlefield stretching from coast to coast. Locally, with one in four Arizonans obese according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Brophy’s annual Summit on Human Dignity this year will focus on food, one part of the problem with obesity, through
three lenses: production, consumption and nutrition. “From a human dignity stand point, we’re going to look at the causes and trends of obesity, and look at it in terms of affordability of food, what are the social and industrial contributions to obesity, what has happened to portion size, and what has happened to the quality of the food we’re eating,” said Mr. Chris White, Brophy’s head athletic trainer and a member of this year’s Summit Planning Committee. A little more than 16 percent, and rising, of teens (ages 12 to 19 years old) are overweight or obese, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Obesity will soon overtake smoking as the leading cause of preventable death, and Mr. White said now is the appropriate time for a Summit topic that touches on obesity. “We can’t ignore the fact that our nation has an obesity epidemic,” Mr. White said. “In my opinion, obesity is the No. 1 health concern in this country.” Though the causes of obesity are wide and
varying, obesity boils down to just two things: food intake and exercise. “When you’re consuming more calories than you’re spending, you’re going to gain weight,” Mr. White said. Over the past decades portion sizes have grown, the quality of calories has declined and the sources of calories have changed from healthy, fresh food to fatty, sugary, processed food. According to Mr. White, it is a combination of these trends, as well as the onset of the computer age and the exchange of an active lifestyle for a more sedentary one, which has led to rising trends in obesity across the United States. However, at Brophy slice-size data collected by Mr. White and his assistant athletic trainers do not show an obese student body, but rather a student body that is susceptible to obesity without actions taken in the opposite direction. “From our data of the over 250 freshmen
This year’s topic to focus on food • See who is slated to speak at the coming Summit assemblies. See Page 7
• The Brophy community continues to reflect on prior Summiits and looks to the future goals and challenges that the next will present. See Page 9
• Students must take the responsibility to stay commited to fixing injustices even after the Summit concludes. See Page 10
• Find out how the Summit topics go from an idea to a reality. See Page 10
See OBESITY, Page 3
CSA provides sustainable, local food alternative on campus By Colin Marston ’13
THE ROUNDUP Chicken tenders, burritos and pizzas on campus aren’t Brophy’s only food options. Community Supported Agriculture is a program sponsored by the Brophy Office of Faith and Justice that provides an outlet in the McCain Colonnade every Wednesday for local farmers to offer their seasonal produce. CSA provides an eclectic array of produce options, although people don’t get to choose specific vegetables, rather specific amounts are set at the beginning of a subscription.
There are currently 28 subscriptions under the Brophy program, with a subscription ranging from 1012 weeks. It costs $20 per week. The support for such a program emerged from 2009’s Summit on Human Dignity focusing on climate Photo by Ben change. Jackson ’11 The produce for the CSA program comes from Brophy’s CSA coordinator Crooked Sky Farms, an Arizonan farm collective that hands fresh vegetables to a workshopped during the 2009 Summit. program participant. The CSA The farm states it uses no herbicides or pesticides, provides organic food for although it is not federally certified organic. Brophy students, faculty and their families. See MARKET, Page 3
Bravo spirited as Bronco mascot, in all he does
Commentary on Summit student involvement and topics
Charlie Hushek finds passion in lacrosse
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Healthy food options available around Brophy Page 14