Love Your Body Day
October 23, 2007-- WPU
By Amrisa Niranjan
Features Editor
Last Wednesday, on October 17th William Paterson observed Love Your Body Day with the rest of the country, although many WPU students did not know this. The theme of this day was loving and respecting our bodies because they are a large part of who we are. The event was put together by Librada Sanchez and the Women’s Center, which is located on the 2nd Floor of the Student Center. The office itself is hard to find. Most students do not even know there is anything on the second floor! There was a small component of this program at Valley Road where Allen Williams and Commuter Services offered nutrition information, healthy snack giveaway, and blood pressure screening done by nursing students.
The day began at 11 AM in the multipurpose room, located right under the ballroom, in the Student Center. There were workshops and speakers paid for by William Paterson and even a few of our very own professors. Also there were dance performances. Some of these performers included a live belly dancer in full costume, and the WPU Dance Team.
However, the beginning of the evening was nothing short of a disappointment, according to Librada Sanchez. The event-coordinator was very distraught because as the day continued on, barely any students showed up. “It’s such a shame” said Librada, “that we put so much effort in organizing these events and the school pays for the speaker for nothing since not one student came to some of these events. “I love when the students come up with their own ideas or to giver performances like the one put together by the Dance Team. As a ‘student development’ person, my role is supporting and guiding, not just dictating to them what they should know,” said Librada. When one junior, Brianna Gold, was asked what she thought of Love Your Body Day, she replied “Nothing I had no idea it existed,”
There were only a few scattered students attending the event. The speakers were very disappointed at the lack of support from the student body.
The Women’s Center, however, would still like to thank the speakers who did attend, including Danusha Goska, Mary Ellen Scheri, HamilaAbdul Ghani, Jaymie Gerard, Dr. Wartyna Davis, and Dr. Michelle Grodner. Topics included image issues, as well as all the other habits of young America that are harmful to the body.
Some of the events included “An Addict’s Diary”, that addressed the connection between food addictions and emotional and physical abuse. Other workshops offered were “Mamorial: A tribute to breast cancer victims,” a discussion on “Women and Self-Image”, and “Overeaters Anonymous Circle.
William Paterson’s own Dr. Wartyna Davis spoke about the way the media portrays women unrealistically, particularly in videos clips for the music industry. She put together a presentation on healthy eating choices for college students here at William Paterson. Sadly, this presentation was cancelled for lack of an audience and this valuable information went unheard.
The day ended with a film and also two dance presentations. The belly dancer was amazing to watch and was also proof of what our bodies are capable of. Even this performance had very few in attendance.
However, at approximately 7:15 PM, something changed. More and more students poured into the room and soon all of the seats were filled. There were even audience members left standing against the wall because the seats were taken.
Then dancers from the WPU Dance team, dressed in all black emerged. They danced to the current songs “Party’s Just Begun” by Nelly Furtado and Timaland’s “Apologize”, featuring One Republic. The dance was titled “It’s Too Late to Apologize.” This indeed was part of the theme, which was domestic violence among college students.
The two leads were Abba Maria Kris Dela Cruz and Evelyn Sanchez. Choreography was done by Heather Smith. The entire team performed well, depicted scenes of students at a Thursday night party getting intoxicated with alcohol and then becoming “drunk.”
The audience understood that a rape was occurring between the characters. Then the dancers switched to a serious for the second part of the performance which demonstrated the feelings of stress, shame, and anxiety involved with the aftermath of a night that went too far.
The audience applauded loudly. Following was an informative session. Students voiced their opinions and Librada Sanchez and other staff from the Student Development Division reminded students of the current New Jersey laws about what constitutes rape and the services offered by the Women’s Center and the Counseling, Health and Wellness Department. It left all who attended with a something to think about.
“The WPU Dance Team was the event that saved the day. I am absolutely pleased with the conceptualization of sexual assault in such an expressive and powerful way. It was not only an amazing performance, they even led a discussion after the performance that allowed open interaction between the dancer and the audience on the topic of sexual violence on campus,” were Librada’s words.
This year’s Love Your Body Day was not a success due to lack of support by the Student Body. However, perhaps next year will prove different. If you have questions about any of the topics you missed, or would like more information about the Women’s Center dial ext. 2946. It’s never too late to learn about loving and respecting our bodies.