After a two-year absence, the Auburn University Body Image Education and Eating Disorders Awareness organization is back on campus.
Alissa Heath, senior in nutrition and dietetics, has brought back the organization in hopes of bringing awareness of eating disorders to Auburn’s campus.
The organization’s big event, “Love Your Body Week,” is coming up at the end of the month.
Each day has a theme: Mirrorless Monday, Talk About it Tuesday, No Weigh Wednesday and All Foods Fit Friday.
Heath added that on Thursday, the organization will team up with Yoga Rave at the Rec Center.
“So overall, each day has a specific thing about loving your body and promoting that on campus,” Heath said.
The organization will be on Haley Concourse during this week, promoting its cause to all the students and faculty who walk by on campus.
Heath explained that AUBIE-EDA was previously on campus but dissolved two years ago, so she and the rest of the organization’s members started to bring it back in November.
She believes that bringing the club back is in full swing now, especially with Love Your Body Week coming up.
“It started to dissipate after one of the dietitians left, who was one of our advisers,” Heath said. “Then, the president at the time didn’t really do anything to try and get the club running again smoothly, so it just kind of dissipated after that.”
Heath decided to bring the club back in hopes of raising awareness on campus and getting involved in the club’s purpose.
“I am majoring in nutrition dietetics, and I am hoping to be an eating-disorder dietitian after I graduate, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to get involved with eating disorders on campus through this club,” she said.
Not only did Heath bring the club back, but she also brought in some new ideas the club could build on.
Along with the monthly meetings, which sometimes involve survivors or dietitians telling their stories, Heath has added training for members to be registered to promote health of every size.
This is something that the club has never done before in its years at Auburn University.
“Before I graduate, I just hope that I can hand the club off to someone that can really take care of it and can really promote healthy eating on campus, and that all foods fit,” Heath said.
Heath hopes that students will come to their display on the concourse, especially since they will have scale smashing on Wednesday.
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