College Plans Body Appreciation Week Events

02/06/2017 

Jenni Schaefer is happily divorced from “Ed.”

“Ed” is what she chose to call her eating disorder, and she travels the country sharing her story with college students about how she resolved her struggle with anorexia and bulimia and reclaimed control over her life. The national speaker, author, singer and songwriter will give the keynote speech, “Goodbye Ed, Hello Me,” on Wednesday, Feb. 22, at SUNY Cortland.

	Jenni Schaefer

The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held at 7 p.m. in the Corey Union Function Room.

Schaefer’s talk highlights the College’s annual Body Appreciation Week, held Monday, Feb. 20, to Friday, Feb. 24. During the week’s series of events, following this year’s theme, “Navigate Your Way To A Healthier You,” the campus community is encouraged to have a positive self-image and healthy lifestyle.

Schaefer’s talk also is part of Wellness Wednesday, the College’s semester-long series of events geared to foster well-being in the campus community.

Schaefer fits the high-achieving profile of a person with anorexia or bulima. She graduated summa cum laude from Texas A & M University with a degree in biochemistry and was on her way to medical school when she decided to pursue singing and songwriting in Nashville instead. It was then that Schaefer began to deal with the ramifications of her eating disorder.

“We recover from our eating disorders in order to recover our lives,” Schaefer said.

“While most people view their eating disorder as a condition, I decided to treat mine as a relationship,” she said. Her approach is now used worldwide.

	Navigate Your Way To A Healthier You

Her most recent book, Almost Anorexic: Is My (or My Loved One’s) Relationship with Food a Problem?, was published in 2013 by Harvard Health Publications/Hazelden. She also authored Goodbye Ed, Hello Me: Recover from Your Eating Disorder and Fall in Love with Life, released by McGraw-Hill in 2009, and Life Without Ed: How One Woman Declared Independence from Her Eating Disorder and How You Can Too, published in 2003 by McGraw-Hill.

Body Appreciation Week events will continue as follows:

Monday, Feb. 20

Compass: “Nama’ste Healthy”

6:45 p.m., SLC Mac Court — yoga

7:45 p.m., SLC Mac Court —zumba

Tuesday, Feb. 21

Compass: “Express Yourself”

7 p.m., Corey Union Function Room

open mic night

Wednesday, Feb. 22

Compass: “Woke Up Like This”

7 p.m., Corey Union Function Room

"Goodbye Ed, Hello Me® "

Presented by Jenni Schaefer

 Thursday, Feb. 23

Compass: “Strong Minded”

7 p.m., Corey Union Function Room

“Embrace” Documentary

Body Appreciation Week is sponsored by Active Minds, Alpha Sigma Alpha, Athletics, Auxiliary Services Corporation, Cortland County Mental Health, Delta Phi Epsilon, Health Promotion, Nu Sigma Chi, Recreational Sports, Residence Life and Housing, Student Activities Board and the President’s Office.

For more information, contact health educator Lauren Herman at 607-753-2066.

Prepared by communications office intern Jamie Winsper