STEPHEN SACCO
Special to the Leader
The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, better known as ANAD, brings awareness to eating disorders. From Feb. 26 to March 2, SUNY Fredonia’s Delta Phi Epsilon (DPhiE) will be hosting a whole week of events to bring that awareness to campus.
Nationally, DPhiE is one of the largest philanthropic organizations to contribute to ANAD’s fundraising.
Julia Haley, a sophomore childhood inclusive education major, is the vice president of programming for DPhiE. One of Haley’s roles in the sorority is to orchestrate ANAD Week’s activities.
“One of the major things that drew me to DPhiE in the first place [was] our philanthropies . . . it’s really special, ANAD week has a personal connection to us because we had a lot of our own sisters affected by eating disorders,” she said. “So I’m excited that we can take a week to build everyone’s awareness and character.”
The events that are held this week revolve around the idea that one should be comfortable with their body and self as a whole. The activities being held help students with insecurities and anxieties that all people can face at one time or another.
The annual Candlelight Vigil always concludes the week. It will focus on the awareness and support of those who have, and still go through, the trauma of eating disorders. Furthermore, it will shed light on what it’s like to live with an eating disorder and provide ways to help others and ourselves.
Abby Sokolofsky, a freshman criminal justice major, will be sharing her personal story with the audience at the vigil. She believes that there are some misconceptions about eating disorders, and she will touch on that in her speech at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 2, in Thompson Hall W101.
“I’ve heard people say, ‘oh I wish I was anorexic, I wanna be able to be that skinny’ . . . I don’t think a lot of people understand, and they think ‘oh my God just eat,’” she said.
Christina Colose, Delta Phi Epsilon’s president, explained that this week is a staple event of the sorority’s.
“For the past 30 years, DPhiE has been holding ANAD week and raising money for the fight against eating disorders,” she said.
For the sisters of Delta Phi Epsilon, even after 30 years, providing awareness and continuing the fight against these disorders continues to be paramount.