This week, Feb. 22-28, is National Eating Disorder Awareness Week. We applaud the efforts on campus by the Ole Miss Sports Nutrition Department and Panhellenic Council to draw attention to this silent epidemic. The National Eating Disorders Association quotes that rates of eating disorders among college students have risen to 10 to 20 percent of women and 4 to 10 percent of men. While we recognize the vital importance of eating disorder awareness, we believe that the availability of treatment and support is even more important.
This cause is highly personal to us, as we have a beautiful, vibrant 22-year-old daughter whose world has been turned upside down because of this life threatening illness.
Our journey with eating disorders began in the fall of our daughter’s freshman year at Ole Miss.
Once we became aware of the problem, we diligently sought help for her on campus. We were extremely disappointed in the lack of services or even the availability of references or points of contact for help. We eventually requested therapist names in Oxford from several local pastors, who recommended someone who’d had some experience in this area. Our daughter made great improvements only to relapse several times over the next few years, staying home the spring semester of her junior year as we sought more specialized treatment. After going away to residential treatment in Arizona last summer, she returned to Ole Miss for her “senior year.”
The former counselor in Oxford was no longer in practice, but we were excited to discover that there was now a part-time therapist at the Counseling Center on campus who had eating disorder experience. Sadly, we would later discover that she’d been volunteering her time at the Counseling Center, as there was no budget for a salary for her. She was scheduled to leave the center in December.
Another relapse while struggling to stay at school led to eventual withdrawal from the university in September. Our daughter went back to a treatment facility for more help and has since decided to continue her education closer to home and closer to her support system.
On Nov. 10, 2014, a group of UM staff including Ms. Leslie Banahan, assistant vice chancellor for Student Affairs, Dr. Mindy Sutton, assistant vice chancellor for Student Affairs and dean of students, Dr. Travis Yates, director of Health Services and Ms. Sally Sullivan, therapist, graciously met with us to listen to our concerns.
To date, we are unaware of any additional allocation of resources on campus to support eating disorders treatment. We love Ole Miss and do not tell our daughter’s story to be critical. We share our experience with the hope that positive changes will be made and students suffering from this life-threatening illness don’t have to leave Ole Miss to receive sufficient help.
Tammy and Todd Boolos
B.A.Ed ’89 & B.Accy ’88
