One Friday afternoon 12 students sat in a small lounge in the McCosh Health Center basement listening attentively as a member of their group gave a presentation on men's body image.
Brian Elliott '03, one of two male students in the group of eating concerns peer educators, shared research and statistics and then his own anecdotes about friends who had subsisted on "gummy-bear diets" but stocked their dorm rooms with every type of health supplement and muscle enhancer.
There are many students who are unfamiliar with the peer educator group or services — such as confidential medical and psychological evaluation — offered by McCosh. But there is only so much that one small group and a campus health center can do to improve a campus environment and lower the rising number of students who have eating concerns or disorders.
With McCosh associate director and psychologist Susan Packer as their coordinator, the eating concerns peer educators meet weekly to give educational presentations, plan programming and receive training on how best to offer support to those suffering from eating concerns.
They post bright informational signs on locker room walls, sit at tables in Frist handing out brochures and sharing personal knowledge, and they visit residential-adviser groups throughout the academic year.
Some attribute the prevalence of eating disorders on campus to specific deficiencies, while others point to a flawed campus culture.
At a meeting several weeks ago, the officers of the Organization of Women Leaders debated whether eating disorders could be prevented or were the inevitable outcome of the media's influence on young men and women. In deciding how to shape their agenda for the coming month, which they had devoted to body image, they questioned the role of the University's administration.
"Princeton tries to project this image of a perfect school," said Rebecca Johnson '03, OWL's health chair. "And there was this idea that [eating disorders were] subconsciously being overlooked."
But Packer views the administration's role more as a support system than one of intervention.
"The University is extremely supportive of the work we do [at McCosh]," Packer said. "Given the size of the school, the size of our counseling center is huge."
The University's direct involvement with students who have eating disorders comes only as a last measure, she said. McCosh monitors students with clinically diagnosable disorders — those whose eating patterns interfere with their daily functioning. But when a student's life is at risk, McCosh might ask the administration to step in.
"We make every effort to keep people in school," Packer said. "It has to be almost to the point where it's suicidal — where an electrocardiogram is abnormal or a student is so weak she can't carry her books."
Many members of the community think the University can act as an advocate by supporting specific changes in staffing and policy.
Students complain, for example, about the absence of nutrition advice on campus. Sue Pierson, who was hired as the assistant director for residential dining, splits her time between dining services and offering nutrition counseling to students.
As a result, many students have been unable to reserve appointments, and some sports teams feel they are given inadequate attention.
A former member of the women's varsity track team was surprised by the nutrition counseling offered to her team. At the beginning of her first season, members were asked to record what they ate for three days and then hand in their list for evaluation.
"For me and a lot of other people this was a big thing of stress," she said. "And it was a very impersonal thing, writing down what you had eaten and sending it off somewhere."
Student athletes represent a large percentage of students with eating disorders. But Packer was quick to point out that the statistics recorded by McCosh reflect both the high number of varsity athletes on campus and the readiness of coaches to refer athletes to the health center.
Because of the prevalence of eating disorders among athletes, some students suggested that coaches express more concern for the health of their team.
"Coaches, I feel like, are the only parental figures kids have on this campus," the female runner said. "They really have to care for their athletes more if [the athletes] are going to perform for them.
"[Coaches] have to not worry so much about being 'P.C.' but approach the athletes if they're close to them," she added.
Women's lightweight crew coach Heather Smith said the health of her team is a priority over their performance.
"What is most important to me as a coach is the physical health of my athletes," she said. "I want them to perform but also to live their lives in a normal fashion."
That normal lifestyle, Vice President for Student Life Janet Dickerson said, is challenged on college campuses nationwide.
"I think it's a national issue for young women of a particular age who have a set of expectations," said Dickerson, who worked at Duke University and Swarthmore College before coming to Princeton.
Dickerson spoke of the University's responsibilities in helping to bring the issue of eating concerns to a public forum, but equally emphasized the responsibility of student groups.
While the community will continue to debate their roles in the fight against eating disorders, the call for a campus-wide shift in attitude is largely uncontested.
"There's this thing that's strange about Princeton," Packer said. "There's the academic life, and there's the student life.
"It's almost like the body and the head are disconnected," she explained. "Maybe that's a sign that the two parts need to be brought together."
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