Ryanne Mitchell, MA, LPC will be one of the guest speakers during the 2024 RSU NEDA Awareness Week. Mitchell is a Licensed Professional Counselor who has been providing therapeutic services in the Tulsa area for 2010 and will be speaking on “Eating Disorders in the LGBTQIA+ Community.”
Eating disorders grow in silence and solitude.
RSU’s National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) Campus Warriors is a student group that works to break that silence through awareness-raising programs and events, such as the upcoming National Eating Disorders Awareness Week.
Scheduled from Monday, Feb. 26, through Friday, March 1, RSU NEDA Awareness Week is a week of fun, informative and equipping activities that promote eating disorder awareness, education and support for affected individuals. The week also highlights resources and community connection, advocating for positive body image, mental well-being, and self-care.
Dr. Sonya E. Munsell, RSU associate professor of psychology and sociology and RSU NEDA Campus Warriors faculty advisor, explains how the NEDA chapter came to exist at RSU as well as the importance of raising awareness for eating disorders.
“(NEDA) Campus Warriors is a nationwide organization that supports the mission of the National Eating Disorders Association, the idea behind which is to promote eating disorder awareness, promote body positivity, etc. on university and college campuses across the country,” Munsell said. “Several years ago, after coordinating the Tulsa NEDA Walk, I was approached by the director of Campus Warriors about starting a student organization at RSU. Rogers State was the first university in Oklahoma to become a Warrior campus.
“National Eating Disorders Awareness Week takes place the last week of February every year and is a series of different events and activities that raise awareness for NEDA and its mission to advance research, build community, and raise awareness and support for those who have experienced or are experiencing an eating disorder in their lifetime,” she continued. “NEDA, and the NEDA Campus Warriors, work to realize a world that better understands and supports those with this struggle with compassion, resources and hope.”
Activities scheduled for Eating Disorders Awareness Week include:
Monday, Feb. 26
Bingo Night | 5-7 p.m. | Preparatory Hall Room 313
Tuesday, Feb. 27
Sharing my Recovery Story Discussion | 1 p.m. | Library Room 207
Guest speaker Kayla P., with the Oklahoma Eating Disorders Association, will share her own eating disorder recovery story. Kayla P’s parents also will speak on how the experience impacted their family.
NEDA Campus Warriors Bracelet Creation | 5-7 p.m. | Preparatory Hall Room 313
Wednesday, Feb. 28
Gentle Yoga with Dr. Sonya E. Munsell | 1 p.m. | Baird Hall Performance Studio
Attendees are encouraged to bring a yoga mat and a comfortable pillow.
Painting | 5-7 p.m. | DCTC Patio
Thursday, Feb. 29
Sound Bath | 10 a.m., DCTC Ballroom
Hosted by RSU’s Social Justice League, this event is a meditative experience where those in attendance are “bathed” in sound waves produced by various sources, such as healing instruments including gongs, singing bowls, percussion, chimes, rattles, tuning forks and the human voice. Attendees are encouraged to bring a yoga mat and a comfortable pillow.
Ditch & Thrift | 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. | DCTC Lawn
This event is a clothing exchange for students to trade gently used old clothing items for other gently used clothing items that better fit them or represent themselves.
Therapeutic Approaches to Eating Disorder Treatment Discussion | 11:30 a.m. | DCTC Conference Room A
Rebel Buersmeyer, MS, LMFT, CSAT, owner and therapist at Family Solutions Counseling and president of the Oklahoma Eating Disorders Association, will give a presentation on treatment of persons with eating disorders and the Oklahoma Eating Disorders Association.
Friday, March 1
Eating Disorders in the LGBTQIA+ Community Discussion | 10 a.m. | DCTC Conference Room A
Ryanne Mitchell, MA, LPC, and founder/director of The Resilience Center will be discussing eating disorders within the LGBTQIA+ community and speak on the connection between eating disorders and neurodivergence. Continental breakfast will be provided.
All these events and activities are free and open to the public.
Campus Warriors Vice President and Digital Content Creator Micaiah Stowe of Skiatook said she’s excited for the upcoming week and the light to be shined on eating disorders.
“This event is going to be amazing. I’m so glad to be a part of it,” Stowe said. “We are all hoping to bring attention to eating disorders, validation, and offering hope for those dealing with an eating disorder.
“Several of our group members even have a history of eating disorders, so they can relate on a whole other level,” she said. “We just desire to make a place where people feel like they can learn about something they’re dealing with or someone they know. These events are all designed to be fun and educational, so people know it’s okay to ask for help and they know who to talk to.”
Although eating disorders have moved increasingly into public discussion in recent years, Munsell said the issue remains a prevalent one, and one for which those dealing with it need to know that help exists.
“Eating disorders are a lived experience for so many people – a lived experience that, without help, can result in long-term mental or physical ramifications or even death,” she said. “If we can let people suffering from these illnesses know they’re not alone, that help and support is available, we can have a positive impact on their lives.”
Since its formation, RSU’s NEDA Campus Warriors has won numerous awards, such as the Oklahoma Eating Disorders Association Community Excellence Award (in 2023), the Student Activism Award, and others, as well as having been involved in several fundraisers, while remaining active in its pursuit of raising awareness and providing hope.
2023-24 NEDA Campus Warriors officers are Bailie Binder (president) of Claremore, Micaiah Stowe (vice president and digital content creator) of Skiatook, Samantha Caskey (secretary) of Claremore, and Brian Pham (treasurer) of Vietnam.
NEDA is a leading eating disorders organization and works to advance research, community building and awareness to support the nearly 30 million people who will experience an eating disorder in their lifetime. For more information about NEDA, visit www.nationaleatingdisorders.org. For more information about NEDA Campus Warriors, visit www.rsu.edu/neda.