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Wednesday. November 12. 2014 > page 10
OPNONS-
More collaboration needed among student organizations
With more than 200 student organi
zations, Elon University’s campus life is
booming with activities and student-led
events. But students
often don’t know
about these events,
whether it be from a
lack of interest or a
feeling of awkward
ness.
I recently learned
about the allegory
of the long spoons.
There are variations,
but, in short, the al
legory goes like this:
People are sitting
Josh Kaufmann
Columnist
around a pot of soup they cannot reach.
They can only hold the end of the handle
of a long spoon they are given. The spoon
can reach the pot but not their mouth.
Chaos ensues until one person extends
the end of the spoon to the person op
posite. Everyone stares in awe as the first
sip of soup is consumed, and all begin
doing the same. Every individual is fed
in the end, though not in the way they
expected.
To build meaningful relationships
with others, create successful events and
impact the greater student body, collab
oration among student organizations is
a must.
Though each student organization is
unique, many share similar visions and
objectives, begging the question of why
they do not work together more often.
Collaboration seems to be hindered
by two possible explanations, the first
being communication. The only means by
which collaboration can occur is through
effective communication between orga
nizations.
For example, if students were hosting
an event they knew other organizations
would be interested in being a part of, it
would benefit them to form partnerships.
Talking with faculty and staff, skim
ming through the list of student organi
zations and not being afraid to walk into
a student office and strike up a conversa
tion can help organizations connect.
Forming relationships with other or
ganizations will take the extra time and
effort, but imagine how successful events,
campaigns and profit shares could be if
there were double, triple or even quadru
ple the amount of students supporting
the cause.
This is not to say the more cooks in
the kitchen the better. In fact, having
representatives from each organization
meet separately seems to be the practi
cal way to execute these partnerships. It
becomes a numbers game when multiple
organizations are involved in planning
an event.
The more organizations involved and
the more members involved, the more
students on campus will hear about and
attend the event.
Another reason that can explain the
lack of student collaboration is the terri
torial perception student leaders have of
their organizations. It seems that some
organizations place greater emphasis on
the fact they are having an event rather
than the significance of the event itself.
One male senior reflects upon a time
his organization was turned down from
working with another student organiza
tion.
He said, “We were told our presence
would negatively divert attention. The
following year, once leadership had
turned over, we reached out to the same
organization when we heard they would
be sponsoring the event again, and with
out hesitation they agreed our presence
would be valuable.”
Elon students place great value on
their leadership roles, as they should, but
it is not uncommon to see these students
become so caught up in their positions
that they forget why they hold them in
the first place.
Leadership during the creation and
execution of events should be about the
event itself and not necessarily about
the individuals organizing it. Giving
credit where credit is due is important,
but self-gratification should not be the
purpose of student-run events.
All of this being said, there are indeed
student organizations that actively col
laborate with one another. But there is so
much room for growth.
An organization putting its name on
another organization’s event flyer may
be deemed co-sponsorship, but it is not
collaboration. The active components
of meeting, brainstorming and working
together are what is most important.
If we are given long spoons, we need
to use them as resources, as means of
communication, as a solution to the
problem instead of encouraging the
problem itself.
To continue with the metaphor, by
focusing on feeding ourselves, we are not
only damaging ourselves, but everyone
around us.
So let’s change these habits by chal
lenging ourselves to extend the spoon,
extend a line of communication and
strive to create a campus culture that
encourages the collaboration of student
organizations.
Fitness obsession just as dangerous as eating disorders
We see it every time we turn on our
phones, open our laptops or watch televi
sion: the “ideal” body.
This concept of
unattainable beauty
has plagued women
and men alike for
Columnist
decades, causing an
estimated 24 million
people in the Unit
ed States to suffer
from disorders such
as anorexia, bulimia
and binge eating,
according to the
National Association
of Anorexia Nervosa
and Associated Disorders (ANAD).
dhc majority of those suffering from
these disorders are teenagers and young
adults, who are far more likely to be
swayed by the messages given out by me
dia outlets. Tlie eating disorders induced
by these message lead to death in roughly
4-5 percent of cases, according to ANAD,
which is far too great a number to be
ignored.
Alongside the messages sent by these
media outlets, social media and blogging
sites such as Pinterest and Tumblr have
also created havens for these unhealthy
habits. Tltc trend “thinspiration,” or “thin-
spo,” fills pages with pictures of emaciated
women with protruding hipbones and
ribs.
Ihcse images support the fabricated
ideal of thin, dainty women, and they
cause young women to believe that they
should try to attain these body types
through whatever means necessary, even
those that could hospitalize them.
Another trend has emerged recently,
and although its message can be helpful
and positive at times, the underlying mes
sages can be just as harmful. The “fitspira-
tion” or “fitspo” trend displays lean, muscu
lar figures with abdominal definition that
few people can realistically obtain.
When young media consumers spend
hours each day scrolling through sites
that feed them these unrealistic bodies,
they begin to believe this is the normal
body for any in-shape person.
With messages such as, “Would you
rather be covered in sweat at the gym or
covered in clothes at the beach?” people
become discouraged by the appearance of
their own body. If you cannot be comfort
able with your body as it is now, however
it may be, what makes you think you will
be more comfortable just by “getting fit”
or “getting skinny?” Healthy looks differ
ent on everybody.
As someone who jumped onto the
“fitspiration” bandwagon for a month or
two, I can attest that these images and
messages can cause unhealthy relation
ships with food and exercise.
People who view these messages too
often become obsessed with what they eat
and how much they eat, and some even
consider a day to be good or bad based
on whether they made it to the gym.
Counting calories eaten and burned can
become an obsession to many of those
who undertake “fitspiration” as a lifestyle
change.
The “fitspo” trend affects men as well,
sometimes more so than “thinspo” does.
These images depict men with almost
zero body fiit, washboard abs and numer
ous other physical attributes which rely
heavily not just on hard work and clean
eating but often, favorable genetics.
Although coverage of these topics
rarely address the body issues presented
to men, they are certainly present, and
they are just as dangerous to them as they
are to women.
Some may believe that an obsession
with fitness does not pose as terrible a
threat to the minds and bodies of young
people as an obsession with thinness does.
They say that so long as people strive to
become athletic, there can be little harm
in their behavior.
But, as with any obsession, the “fitspi
ration” drive can cause people to choose
athletics over social activities, academics
and friendships, and it becomes common
place for them to ignore signs of injury
or illness in an attempt to perfect their
bodies no matter the cost.
When the drive to become fit swallows
up any other thoughts, surpassing all oth
er aspects of life, it cannot be considered
“getting healthy.”There is so much more
to physical health than achieving that
“perfect” body, and there is no reason to
forsake mental health in pursuit of it.
Junior Alex Battaglia exercises at Elon University's Koury Athletic Center.
LANE DEACON 1 Staff PhotograpMer