Swimsuit season fuels anorexia

ANNMARIE CHACKO STAFF WRITER Ac729@CABRINI .EDU

Walking into the cafeteria, one can spot a salad bar, burgers, fries, sandwiches and other various items on display. There are many different drinks to choose from, hot or cold, whichever you like. But to a·girl suffering from anorexia nervosa, it's all fat, fat, fat.

Anorexia nervosa is a real, treatable medical illness in which certain unhealthy patterns of eating take on a life of their own, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. It is one of the leading trends in eating disorders affecting an estimated five million people in the United States alone.

It can begin with something as small as the desire to lose enough weight to fit into that cute new bikini you just bought or to hope to God that you fit into your prom dress before that fateful night. With some, it starts at an early age with family members commenting on baby fat and pudgy cheeks. Still with others, it's a result of much abuse to the ego and a further lowering of selfesteem.

"The summer before I entered the eighth grade, I wanted to lose at least five pounds. So, I stopped eating. I ended up losing about 20 pounds within the month," said "Nancy," a freshman exercise science major who chose to remain anonymous.

Campus Announcements

Praxis Prep: Curricuhun & ~ent

"Before it all started, I wanted to lose weight to look good in a bathing suit and clothes. But when I went to try them on, I was so skinny I became embarrassed," Nancy said.

Group dieting, usually found amongst girlfriends and sorority sisters, takes a more organized form on the Internet, where spring break has become a popular topic on web sites maintained by the controversial underground movement known as "pro-ana" where it is encouraged to wear red bracelets showing off pride to be anorexic. Pro-anas are seen all over sites like Myspace.com, Xanga and LiveJoumal.com, according to the New York Times.

"Celebrities themselves are finding themselves caught in this 'trend' and with thousands of young girls looking up to them," said "Jasmine," a sophomore English/communication major.

Symptoms of anorexia nervosa include: resistance to maintaining body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for one's age and height, intense fear of gaining weight and infrequent or absent menstrual periods.

"It messed up my cycle so bad and it might not be normal again until I actually have children. I found out I was anemic afterwards because I would lose so much blood sometimes," said Nancy.

Cabrini College is offering another in the series of Praxis Prep courses. Prepare for curriculum, instruction, and assessment on Wednesday evenings from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The dates are as follows: May 24, May 31, June 7, June 21, .andJune 28 in Founders Hall Room 23. The cost is $250. To register, visit www.cabrini.edu and click through the following: Academics, graduate and professional studies, forms, and non-credit registration. Download the form and mail it with payment to:

Cabrini Colleges Center for Graduate & Professional Studies

610 King of Prussia Radnor, PA 19087

Attention: Lisa LoMonaco

Hat and Tie Semiformal

CAP Board is hosting a Hollywood themed semiformal on Saturday, April 29th. The festivities will begin at 10 p.m. at Grace Hall and last until 1 a.m. Admission is free.

Swim Clinic

Cabrini's swim team coaches will be instructing a swim clinic for those interested in competitive swimming in the Dixon Center pool. The swim clinic will be held on Sunday, April 30 between 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. The cost is $6 per person and $10 per family. No reservations are needed.

Senior Night of Reflection

Campus Ministry invites graduating seniors to a night of reflection Wednesday, May 3. The evening will begin with the celebration of mass at 5:15 p.m. in the Bruckman Chapel of Saint Joseph, followed by a dinner and discussion in the Wolfington Center.

For more information or if you are interested in attending, please RSVP to Father Michael Brelecki at.fb722@cabrini.edu or Laura Gorgol at leg722@cabrini.edu.

Campus Carwash and Bake sale

Klcr Skydiving1w b!lcomepopularwith extreme sports enthuslests. ing in the spring when it gets warmer.

Some students think that skydiving is awesome and then there are those that are scared of it. Krystal Layne, a sophomore psychology major. said that she has never tried skydiving and said that she would be scared. "I am scared of roller-skates, I wouldnot like it," Layne said.

Claudia Sciandra, a senior accounting and finance major, has also never tried skydiving. Sciandra said that she will never try skydiving. "Looks like fun, but I would never do it," she said.

According to a skydiving website , parachuting started in China in the 1100s. Naturally, there were no airplanes to jump fr<:>m,but there have always been natural prominences to leap from and then float relatively safely to the ground. Leonardo DaVinci, who cre.atedplans for all sorts of flying contraptions, also created a design for a wood frame parachute in a pyramid shape.

The first woman to jump from a plane was Tiny Broadwick, who did so in 1913. She was an American parachutist who also the fi:rst woman to make a freefall from an air plane in 1914.

"By the beginning of February people are starting to talk about their bodies and getting ready for spring break," said clinical psychologist, Margo Maine.

Most people stop eating to gain a result and lose the unnecessary weight preventing them from having that desirable body. The prom, wedding and bathing suit seasons causes most girls to want to lose weight and be skinny.

"When I really looked at myself in the mirror and saw how skinny I was, I knew it was time to stop," said Nancy.

"At some point you figure it out. We don't intentionally ·want to kill ourselves. We just want to fit in to society's standard of beautiful," said Jasmine.

*Names have been altered in this story due to the privacy rights of the individuals.

Professor Doug Lynch's seminar 300 class will be hosting a carwash and bake sale on Saturday, May 6. This event will be held in the Dixon Center parking lot from noon to 4 p.m. and will be made complete by the soundings of live acoustic music. The car-washing services will cost $3 for students ~d $5 for faculty and staff. All the proceeds gained from this fundraiser will benefit the Montgomery County Cultural Center in Norristown.

Bagels and Business

The center for graduate and professional studies invites the campus community to join them for Bagels and Business with the future topic being: Employee Retention Through Mentoring. This light breakfast, speaker, and discussion is open to the public at no cost and will be held in the Mansion dining room from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. For additional information contact Dr. Dennis R. Dougherty by phone at (610) 902-8500 or via email at DDougherty@cabrini.edu.