Between going to her physics class, doing her homework and hanging out with her friends, Binghamton University freshman Veronica Whiting is lucky if she can squeeze in one square meal a day, let alone three.

Freshman Vanessa Meades, student worker in the alumni office, enjoys a healthy lunch of soup, salad and low fat chocolate milk--a meal she chose with a little help from alumni office staff.

Breakfast is out of the question. Lunch consists of something she can grab from the school's cafeteria, like a slice of pizza or a sandwich. And for evening snacks, Whiting can choose between the lonesome orange juice or solitary Bagel Bites that sit behind the door of her dorm room fridge. "I eat whenever I get the chance," Whiting said.

But that doesn't mean she can always makes healthy choices. During work on her physics homework one afternoon, Whiting's lunch consisted of an omelet on a croissant, french fries and a drink from the school's cafeteria.

Whiting, an 18-year-old computer science major from the Bronx, is not alone when it comes to her delinquent diet habits. Binghamton University's Randy Specterman, a staff psychologist at the University's Counseling Center and chair of its Eating Awareness Steering Committee, said eating disorders may affect as many as one in 10 students, and anywhere from a half to two thirds of the University's students eat poorly. "I see kids with eating disorders and I see a lot of disordered eating," Specterman said.

Problems range from diagnosable diseases such as anorexia and bulimia to worrisome habits such as undereating, overeating or a lack of nutritional
balance. Then there's the dreaded "freshman 15," those pesky pounds that seem to pile up quickly in the first year of college but take forever to shed. And with more than 1.5 million Americans entering college each year, that could add up to an additional 11,250 tons of weight.

Nationally, an estimated 55 percent of Americans are overweight, and almost 18 percent are obese. Since 1991, the fastest rising rate of obesity has
been among 18- to 29-year-olds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Faced with numbers like these, Binghamton University, in recognition of National Nutrition Month in March, is trying to show students what constitutes a balanced diet and convince them that eating a healthy meal can be both easy and cheap.

Earlier this month, registered dietitian Amy Janeski posted herself outside the entrance to a cafeteria. Armed with information and prizes, she
lured as many students as she could to her booth and tested their knowledge of portion size. Many students don't realize what one serving of chicken or mayonnaise or soda looks like, she said. "A lot of kids are surprised by what a real portion size is," said Janeski. As a result, many of them tend to overeat and gain weight in college, especially freshmen, who in many cases are buying and preparing their own food for the first time.

So instead of reaching for a can of sugary soda or fatty french fries, Janeski and Specterman are trying to teach students about their eating
options. And depending on how that information is presented, the students respond well, Specterman said. "A lot of them can feel overwhelmed. They want practical information because they do have a sense that it's up to them," Specterman said. The school is in the middle of putting together a cookbook based on student submissions, which will give students a handful of quick, healthy and easy recipes. Then there's the question of balance, of making sure those all-important four food groups are fairly represented.

"In some ways, we're too preoccupied with eating, and overemphasize weight," said Specterman. "I want to emphasize balance, a balanced approach to eating, to put it back into perspective to free them up to enjoy other things." Specterman said it's the kind of information that stays with the students for the rest of their lives, since those eating habits picked up during college -- when students are first flirting with independence -- may become ingrained into adulthood. "It's not just for here," Specterman said. "We want them to have the basics for when they get out of here."

And she hopes that information gets into the hands of people such as Chantal Anderson, a computer engineering freshman from the Bronx, who was lunching on three hot wings, two tacos and some pasta. "I don't eat vegetables," Anderson said. "Only when I start getting sick."

Brain food

Specterman leads a seminar called "Food and Mood" that teaches students the difference between brain food and sleep-inducing snacks. Food that will keep you up studying into the wee hours: A peanut butter sandwich on whole-grain bread, a boiled egg or a serving of sugar-free
yogurt. Food that will knock you right out: Chips, pretzels, cookies and candy, all the so-called "comfort" foods.

This story originally appeared in Binghamton’s Press & Sun-Bulletin, March 21, 2001. It is reprinted here with the permission of the publisher.

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Newly discovered bacterium named for late professor

Alex Shrift, a member of the Biological Sciences faculty from 1969 until his death in 1992, has been honored by the naming of a newly discovered bacterium. J. S. Blum, J. F. Stolz, A. Oren and R. S. Oremland of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Menlo Park, Calif., discovered the bacterium, designated strain DSSe-1. They published their finding in Archives of Microbiology, 175: 208-219 (2001) in a paper, "Selenihalanaerobacter shriftii gen. nov., sp. nov., a halophilic anaerobe from Dead Sea sediments that respires selenate." Strain DSSe-1 represents a hitherto unknown species in a hitherto unknown genus. The USGS scientists named their discovery Selenihalanaerobacter shriftii "in honor of the late Professor Alex Shrift for his pioneering work on the metabolism of selenium ions by microorganisms."

Professor Shrift's extensive research at Binghamton University was supported by numerous National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation grants. His teaching was in cell biology, plant biochemistry, nutrition and scientific writing. A yearly award honoring Shrift is given at Binghamton University to a graduating senior who has demonstrated excellence in scientific writing. Former students and colleagues may contribute to the Alex and Betty Shrift Student Award Fund for Excellence in Science Writing by contacting the Binghamton University Foundation, Binghamton, New York 13902-6005.

-- Alan H. Haber, Bartle Professor of Biology

Spanos elevated to distinguished professor

William Spanos, internationally known literary critic and founder of the first post-modern journal, was elevated to the rank of distinguished professor by trustees of the state university in late March.

Binghamton President Lois B. DeFleur cited Spanos' energy and creativity in her recommendation letter. "Author of several books, numerous articles and contributor to many anthologies, he has developed an international reputation that places him among the most important American critics of recent decades," she wrote.

Spanos joined the faculty in 1966. As founder and long-time editor of Boundary 2, he is known as a pioneering and leading scholar who has "significantly influenced literary theory," his citation said.

For additional news about Harpur College, see the Harpur Hotline.

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Nursing alumni dinner planned

The Mary E. Mahoney Minority Nursing Support Group will sponsor a Nursing Alumni Dinner Saturday, April 28, from 2 to 5 p.m. in the Chenango Room. During this dinner, the group hopes to discuss forming a network for alumni of the nursing support group and the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP).

English nursing scholars visit Decker

Two nursing scholars from DeMontfort University, Leicester, England, will visit Decker May 6-8. Dr. Mel Chevannes, head of the School of Nursing and Midwifery and director of the Mary Seacole Center for Nursing Research, and Donna Young, principal lecturer, School of Nursing and Midwifery, will visit classes and local health care organizations May 7-8.

The purpose of the visiting scholars program is to encourage students to continue their education by attending graduate school and to introduce them to a wide variety of nursing careers and nursing research.

Chevannes' and Young's visit is part of an exchange program between the Decker School of Nursing and DeMontfort University. Earlier this year, Mary Collins, dean of the Decker School, and Gale Spencer, director of the Kresge Research Center, visited DeMontfort and met with faculty and staff to share ideas on how best to meet some of the transitional challenges the United Kingdom is experiencing in moving training programs from hospitals to universities.

Sharon Bryant,
faculty member and coordinator of
the College Science Technology Entry Program (CSTEP)

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School of Education and Human Development News

Cross-cultural perspectives: students travel to Senegal

Education Professors Anita Vogely and Judy Kugelmass will travel with students to Senegal this May as part of a four-credit course on the sociological, cultural and developmental issues of this small democratic West African country. The two-week, on-site experience will provide opportunity for further exploration of the culture, human services and educational institutions in Senegal. Faculty and students will live on campus in Dakar.

The study-abroad component, organized by Dr. Ousmane Sene of Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, will include planned tours of the city and small villages, meetings with staff leaders in the education and social development ministries, and site visits to schools and grass-roots organizations. The class will also visit Gorée Island, the departure point to America for millions of Africans who were enslaved, and Saint-Louis, the former French capital.

Why Senegal? "Senegal offers students the opportunity to discover a small part of the fascinating continent of Africa in a safe, stable country," said Vogely. "Because of its proximity to Western Europe and the Western Hemisphere, Senegal became one of the first places to develop commercial ties more than five centuries ago with those areas." Today, the Islamic nation of Senegal plays an active role on the world scene as a bridge between West Africa and the rest of the world.

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April 1, 2001 | Binghamton University State University of New York Alumni Association | email