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Yates, Wagenaar debate at presidential candidate forum The candidates disagreed on how to best engage the student body with Student Council

Lydia Willcocks | Staff Writer

The 2020 Student Council Presidential Candidate Forum was co-hosted by The Cavalier Daily and University Board of Elections.

The Cavalier Daily and University Board of Elections co-hosted the fourth annual Student Council Presidential Candidate Forum Feb. 24 with third-year College students Ellen Yates and Hunter Wagenaar presenting their platforms as prospective Student Council presidents.

Yates and Wagenaar took turns answering questions formulated by The Cavalier Daily and audience submissions. Around 30 students were in attendance and the live-stream of the event had over 8,200 views as of press time.

The forum ended with Wagenaar ending his candidacy for president in his closing statement. Wagenaar cited alleged violations of candidate endorsing procedure policies as one of the reasons for his final decision to withdraw from the race. UBE is currently investigating the claims.

Yates and Wagenaar offered differing opinions on several issues related to the organization of Student Council, including transparency, campaign promises and lobbying practices.

Yates commended the current Student Council President, fourthyear College student Ellie Brasacchio, but added that she would like the Council to approach issues from more of an outward facing perspective in the future. Wagenaar cited free menstrual hygiene across Grounds as a positive change implemented by the current administration, but argued that the presidency had become too centralized in the past year, which resulted in a decrease of the legislative body’s power.

Both candidates agreed that the transparency of Student Council is a major issue moving forward. Yates disagreed with Wagenaar’s idea of creating a new role, Vice President for Student Resources, to tackle transparency, as she said it would further bureaucratize the system.

Wagenaar raised an issue with Yates’s plan to encourage student leaders to participate in Student Council roundtable discussions and attend general body meetings.

“That’s not the form of leadership I believe in,” Wagenaar said. “I believe that student leaders on Student Council should be going to students.” To combat declining student engagement in Student Council, Wagenaar argued that the 12.6 percent turnout rate of students in last year’s election was a result of discontent with the organization. He argued that this lack of enthusiasm could be resurrected through the establishment of new and exciting projects and the elimination of the institutions no longer seen as relevant.

Yates pushed back against an overhauling of the Student Council institution, instead arguing that condensing and focusing Student Council into a more efficient process will increase student enthusiasm.

Throughout the forum, Yates emphasized her experience in Student Council that has equipped her with the knowledge of the organization’s infrastructure and the awareness of what is needed for Council to be a more effective institution.

“I’ve been in Student Council for three years. I have a comprehensive, informed platform and a track record of getting things done,” Yates said.

However, Yates received pushback from audience questions about her coalition model and whether she had received indications that cultural student groups would participate.

Yates explained that the fostering of relationships with leaders of student organizations across Grounds would take time. She clarified that the model was not designed to intrude on multicultural organizations

EMMA KLEIN | THE CAVALIER DAILY

but to offer and share the resources of Student Council.

Yates pointed out Wagenaar’s ties with friends of the University that help legacy students, arguing that this association may have played a role in Wagenaar’s decision to abstain on a Student Council vote denouncing the University’s admissions watchlist. First publicized in 2017 and again brought to light September 2019, the University has used a “watchlist” to track certain applicants who receive an additional review during the admissions process — many of whom are connected to major donors.

Student Council failed to pass a resolution condemning the practice October 2019 after a significant number of representatives abstained from the vote.

Wagenaar explained his decision to abstain from the vote as stemming from the “mess” associated with it, noting that members of the executive body broke from meeting procedure. The candidates also differed in their approach to Student Council’s relationship with University administration. Yates proposed a working relationship, with students at the table and making decisions with administrators. She gave the exam

ple of the Tuition Fees Admission Committee — a group of students that review the tuition plans for the upcoming year — to take place earlier in the year. In its current form, the committee meets after decisions have been made.

Wagenaar disagreed with the characterization of Student Council as a bridge between students and University administrators. Instead, he said the primary goal of the Council should be amplifying students’ voices and interests.

At several points throughout the forum, Wagenaar declined to respond to audience submitted questions regarding his resignation from the representative body and concerns about working with members of the other ticket. Wagenaar declined to comment for this article.

With Wagenaar dropping out of the race, Yates is running unopposed for Student Council president. Voting for all University-wide elections ends Friday, Feb. 28 at 4 p.m. Votes can be submitted electronically at uvavote.com.

LIFE

How to be an ally to those with eating disorders The catalyst for change is conversation, so let’s talk about eating disorders

Isabel Salken | Food Writer

We all know someone. More importantly, a lot of us have been that someone — someone who struggles or has struggled with an eating disorder.

According to the Oxford dictionary, eating disorders include a range of psychological disorders characterized by abnormal or disturbed eating habits. This can include bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, anorexia nervosa and orthorexia — the obsessive pursuit of a healthy diet often combined with excessive exercise.

These unhealthy habits can look like the person masked their skipped meal by an “inconvenient class schedule,” woke up a little too early to get to the gym for just the wrong reason, binged on snacks meant to last a full week, looked in the mirror a few minutes too long tearing apart their beautiful reflection — the list goes on.

If any of this strikes a chord for you — or if you’ve known or seen someone around you struggle with this — it’s likely because the prevalence of eating disorders in college has steadily increased

LAKSHMI POSNI | THE CAVAILER DAILY

over the past few years, rising to 32 percent of females and 25 percent of males, according to data from the National Eating Disorder Association.

Colleges are often a breeding ground for eating disorders due to high pressures to fit in, the idealization of thinness and societal emphasis on weight as the primary indicator of health. Combined with a busy schedule, increased stress and frequent comparison, there are many factors that make people much more vulnerable to eating disorders as a means of control.

This year, National Eating Disorder Awareness Week falls from Feb. 24 to March 1 and aims to bring attention to an epidemic that’s affecting millions, spanning all shapes, sizes, genders and races. Although eating disorders are often associated with females, many males also struggle with body image and eating disorders, and 16 percent of transgender college students have reported having an eating disorder.

NEDA’s slogan for 2020 is “Come As You Are” — acknowledging there is no one type of person who develops eating disorders while also encouraging those who either previously had or currently have an eating disorder to embrace where they are and who they are. All eating disorders are different and require different recovery processes, and where everyone is in their recoveries also differs. Universally, there are some things we can all do to be an ally to those with eating disorders.

To start, if you notice someone around you has a negative relationship with food — such as thinking about food constantly, thinking about body image or weight obsessively or feeling any kind of shame in relation to either of these categories — let that person know you care.

Remind those around you there is more to their life than their body or what they do or do not eat. Our culture is obsessed with discussing body image, weight, workouts and even what you ate for dinner last night. While these questions may not be asked with ill intentions, for those struggling with eating disorders, the impact can be broader and more triggering than you may think. This unhealthy obsession — thinking about food every waking moment of the day — is not a fun thing to go through, and I speak from experience here. Let’s work hard as a community to lift each other up about things that aren’t our diets or next workouts.

In a similar regard, avoid making accusations about other people’s diet, exercise or body. Telling someone suffering from an eating disorder to “just eat more” is not helpful. If the person felt they could do that, they would have already. An eating disorder is not a choice — it is both a mental health disorder and an addiction.

There's a difference between eating and moving because it feels good and because you are forcing yourself to. I know I never wanted to admit I had a problem, and that’s an issue in and of itself. The stigma behind eating disorders stretches far beyond a number on a scale or a reflection in a mirror. It, like depression or anxiety, is mental — a constant fight between mind and body. As an ally, it can be difficult to watch someone you know go through these challenges, but taking the time to gain awareness and understand how you can help can make all the difference. You have the power to help those suffering feel seen and heard which can encourage them to reach out for help. Recovering in college is possible and worth it — because above all, we are all worth it.

If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, please reach out for help. The Elson Student Health Center has an eating disorders consultation and treatment team, which includes a number of trained nutritionists, psychotherapists, medical providers, and more. You can also text “NEDA” to 741741 or visit the National Eating Disorders Association website for additional resources.