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February 23, 2010, Volume 204 >> Number 106 >> 40 cents >> iowastatedaily.com >> An independent newspaper serving Iowa State since 1890
TUESDAY
Eating Disorder Awareness Week 2010
An unknown illness
Ailments’ variations lack public regard, prove to be common By Jody Korthaus Daily Staff Writer
Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating are all eating disorders that are the most commonly known and most heard of. But there is a fourth category, a littleRoling known one that isn’t so clear-cut, categorized and precise. Eating disorders not otherwise specified would be the name of this fourth category and possibly are the most dangerous of them all. Those that suffer from EDNOS are people who are struggling, but don’t meet the criteria of the other three.
see DISORDERS on PAGE 18
Student overcomes struggle with illness, control, self-esteem Editor’s note: This is the first in a three-part series about Amanda Hornsby, who has survived a battle with anorexia. By Chelsea Davis Daily Staff Writer Standing tall at 5-feet-8-inches and 113 pounds, it’s hard to believe she weighed only 86 pounds seven years ago. But this is reality for Amanda Hornsby, senior in psychology and criminal justice. From the ages of 13 until 17, she suffered from restrictive-anorexia nervosa, type one, where she restricted her food intake. “My household was very loving, but my dad was the head control of the house, so I didn’t have a lot of control over things; and one night at dinner I took a second helping of whatever we were having and he said jokingly, ‘Do you think you really need that?’”
see AMANDA on PAGE 18
Jenni Schaefer plays a song during her speech “Recover from an Eating Disorder and Fall in Love with Life” at 7 p.m. Monday in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union. Schaefer wrote the song while recovering from her eating disorder. Photo: Joseph Bauer/Iowa State Daily
Speaker discusses battle with internal demons, process of recovery, life after disease By Angela Christianson Daily Staff Writer The first rows of the Great Hall of the Memorial Union were filled with sorority sisters from Kappa Kappa Gamma, who came in support of Emily Fischer, an ISU alum, that lost her life to an eating disorder. Her parents were also there to accept a gracious thank you for their support to Eating Disorder Awareness. Jenni Schaefer, who has been a guest on Dr. Phil McGraw’s TV show and published two books, spoke at Iowa State two years ago about her disorder and was impressed with the turnout Monday night. She explained that she would not be talking much about her sickness this time, but how she went beyond recovery to get better. While holding a bright yellow dance costume, Schaefer described the first time she heard her eating disorder talk to her. She was 4 years old, performing in a recital and felt that she did not look like the other girls, that she was not good enough. This voice that she later named Ed in therapy stayed with her for nearly 20 years. When she graduated from college she was accepted to medical school, but was unable to attend because her eating disorder made her too sick. She moved to Nashville instead to sing and try to escape Ed. The move did the exact
opposite of what Schaefer thought it would: It took complete control of her life and she didn’t want to live anymore if she had to live with the disorder. “I decided to tell my boyfriend [about my disorder]; he was the person I trusted the most,” Schaefer said. “I put an eating disorder brochure under my couch and invited him over. I asked him to look under my couch while I hid in my bedroom. He found it and saw me crying and put two and two together.” She continued to explain that she was so grateful to have his support, love and understanding. Schaefer spent many years in recovery with dieticians, therapists and support groups. It was in this therapy that she recognized her eating disorder as a separate voice and named it Ed. “My therapist pulled up an empty chair and told me to imagine that my eating disorder was sitting in it,” Schaefer said. “I was supposed to talk to it and tell it how I felt. At that point, I thought my therapist needed a lot more help than I did.” This activity ended up helping her immensely; she did this activity with other issues she had as well. “The room was crowded with furniture for all the voices in my head,” she told the audience. “[Ed and I] don’t talk anymore. I don’t hear that voice anymore,” Schaefer said, but the recovery was not short or easy for her. She was in a stage she referred to as mediocre re-
covery for a while. She still restricted herself and was terrified to go out to eat with friends. She compared it to a recovering alcoholic having “just one beer.” “You can only recover if you do it all the way. You can be completely free. You can,” Schaefer encouraged. “It was miserable at times, but when I felt the lowest, that was often when I was doing the best.” A big part of Schaefer’s disorder was her perfectionism. She had to learn to have fun for the sake of having fun and to use perfectionism in a good way. “Perfection does not exist,” Schaefer said. “We cannot achieve it ... That’s the problem.” She learned to set limits on herself and put the trait to good use, such as editing her two books. Another important lesson she learned was that time spent with family and friends is some of the most productive time she could have. “Negative body image was like prison; I replaced it with positive life experiences,” Schaefer said. She told a story about one of her first “positive life experiences” after her recovery. She was rock climbing in Alaska and could not wear long or baggy pants, she had to wear tight shorts and a harness. “As I started climbing the mountain, I stopped worrying about looking fat,” Schaefer said. “I was thinking about falling off the cliff and appreciated the strength of my arms and legs. That felt so freeing and amazing. I got to the top.”
Campus Sensation
City Government
Student’s singing entertains
Google Fiber bid subject of vote
By Taysha Murtaugh Daily Correspondent He steps out into the frigid February air wearing a green and gold letterman’s jacket. Slipping in his earbuds, he scrolls to his favorite playlist and presses the center button on his iPod. In a moment, Journey’s lyrics, which he knows so well, drown out the bustling students around him. He marches through Central Campus, opens his mouth and begins to belt, “Just a small town girl, living in a lonely world...” Those he passes turn their heads. Some are puzzled, others amused, still others annoyed. One thing is for certain: Mitchell Nieland is causing quite a stir. “It’s really hard for me to hear a song that I know and not sing it,” said Nieland, sophomore in meteorology and performing arts. So, he sings. He has caught the attention of ISU students, who submit comments to the Iowa State Daily’s “Just Sayin’” column as well as the Facebook pages “Just Sayin’ — Iowa State” and “Overheard at ISU.” Now, he has a Facebook group dedicated to him, “WHO IS THAT SINGING SENSATION @ ISU?!?!?!?!?” Nieland loves music and said he began his unique hobby last semester “to warm up my voice in the morning.” He likes to sing songs with a higher
By Allison Suesse Daily Staff Writer
Mitchell Nieland, sophomore in meteorology, also known as Iowa State’s singing sensation, walks across campus belting one of his favorite tunes Tuesday. Nieland loves music and says he can’t go a day without singing. Photo: Kelsey Kremer/Iowa State Daily
voice register, like “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey, “My Life Would Suck without You” by Kelly Clarkson and “Defying Gravity” from the “Wicked” soundtrack. “I was walking to class last semester on a Friday and he was singing ‘Eye of the Tiger,’” said the Facebook group’s creator, Anthony Davis, junior in kinesiology and health. “It was kind of one of those ‘mademy-day’ moments.”
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The phrase, “You made my day!” is one commonly attributed to Nieland’s singing in “Just Sayin’” and the Facebook pages. “It shows that doing something simple can make other people feel really good,” Nieland said. It was comments like this from many people that prompted Davis to create the
see SENSATION on PAGE 3
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The Ames City Council will vote Tuesday to authorize city staff to submit a statement of interests to be part of an experimental trial of the Google Fiber network. Submissions are due March 26. If the motion to allow city staff to begin the application process is passed, the council will encourage Ames residents to show support of the initiative. Steve Schainker wrote in a memo to the City Council that other Internet providers in Ames might question why the council would favor one company over another. Schainker mentioned that council members should support public awareness efforts to ensure the community is aware of the initiative and what it could mean for the city if it is selected. The council will also vote on what action it will take regarding the library expansion project. It
will need to approve a request from the Library Board of Trustees for an amendment that permits up to $68,000 of funding from library capital improvements funds to enlist a consulting group. The Library Board of Trustees requested funding for a consulting group in order to determine the fundraising potential of this endeavor, according to a council action form. The city of Ames was awarded $8,463,000 in TIGER grant funds to support the proposed Intermodal Facility in Campustown. In an additional memo to the council, Schainker noted that there were more then 1,400 applications submitted to receive this grant, and Ames was one of the two cities in Iowa to be selected. Schainker will deliver the memo at Tuesday’s meeting and will recognize the efforts of the congress members who helped Ames secure the exclusive funding.