Yale threatened to expel student for having a low BMI...

Branstin

What? My uni never checked my "health record", weighed me, requested a doctor would run a test on me, or anything of the sort. How is it their business?

The student had previously visited student health as a result of finding a breast lump. She was then called back in due to her low BMI being flagged up. Now I'm not saying its right that they used this as a 'one size fits all measurememt'.

However, there is a percentage of college students who do develop ED whilst attending. These are generally young adults who are away from family/peers who might be more aware of if the person has developed disordered behaviours. So the other side of the story is if the college hadn't flagged this concern up would they then have failed their duty of care?.

If weight is the criteria, how often are they failing at their "duty of care" by not threatening forced medical leave on overweight and obese students? After all far more people fall victim to disease and distress in relation to obesity in this nation than malnourishment and undernourishment.

Where is all this supposed concern for the fat students?

+1

darkangel45422

I think a lot of people have confused the real issue here - it's not that Yale was concerned about her weight or that they were trying to make someone who wasn't average 'normal'; it wasn't some kind of discrimination or crazy desire to make everyone the same. She'd visited the health center and they called her back in because her weight was concerning to them. The main reason this is ridiculous is that they don't seem to have looked into the idea that she may be perfectly healthy at that weight, which is kind of insane - doctors should know that not everyone's body is going to weigh the same at a healthy size.

I assume however that her BMI/weight was so low for her size that it was VERY concerning for them if they were talking about imposed medical leave. I would assume overweight students aren't often faced with this because for it to be hugely alarming you have to VERY fat, whereas it's quite easy for skinny people to become VERY skinny (the body seems to be able to handle being overweight a lot easier than underweight in terms of pounds gained / pounds lost). I don't blame Yale at all for having her health in mind - we have a huge problem in society with college aged people suffering from health issues (particularly mental health issues) that go untreated because either no one notices or if they do, they don't do anything. I think Yale's doctors were totally in the right to try and correct what they saw as a serious health issue; where they went wrong was in not actually verifying that there WAS a health issue.

Branstin

I can't imagine there isn't at least one very fat overweight student walking around Yale to ring the "concern" alarm bell. I agree that the BMI is not the be all to being healthy or unhealthy.

Madame_Goldbricker

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2009/11/pennsylvania_college_makes_bmi.html

Not Yale. But students on the high end of the BMI scale do get flagged up in colleges too.

Branstin

Yale needs to do the same.

ythannah

"Duty of care"?? We are talking about an adult here, not a minor. I find that disturbingly intrusive.

Btw, at her age I weighed 103 lbs at 5'9. A couple of years later, after a prolonged period of extreme stress, I actually dropped to 97 lbs for a while. I'm not Asian but I do have a very small frame... long thin bones. Fortunately my university only cared about my academic standing. And my tuition payments, lol.

BinaryPulsar

When I was in college a student left and then returned to visit during an alumni weekend. I was in the dance department. She had been a dancer and a neuroscientist. She wanted to perform in the show that weekend. She was emaciated in a very serious way and had previously been very healthy. We were all very disturbed by the state she was in. I don't think anyone told her this was the reason, but we did not allow her to perform. But, she was not in a good mental or physical state and was in no condition to be able to be in a performance. This was a very different circumstance. It didn't matter what her weight was. She had clearly gone through a drastic transformation and she looked extremely ill. I wanted her to get help, but there was nothing any of us could do. I actually thought that she had a terminal illness, and had to find out that was not the case.

Madame_Goldbricker

"Duty of care"?? We are talking about an adult here, not a minor. I find that disturbingly intrusive.

Btw, at her age I weighed 103 lbs at 5'9. A couple of years later, after a prolonged period of extreme stress, I actually dropped to 97 lbs for a while. I'm not Asian but I do have a very small frame... long thin bones. Fortunately my university only cared about my academic standing. And my tuition payments, lol.

Most institutions have a policy relating to a "duty of care". Its due to the fact that they act 'in loco parentis' - This is used to cover a very broad framework but it is in place to essentially make sure the young persons best interests are served, and that their; physical, psychological, and general well being needs are met.

Technically a "duty of care" is usually also applied by most public of services in relation to the general public. Regardless of the persons age Ex. If the police picked up an intoxicated person in the street. They would have to ensure that they were placed in a place of safety so as not to cause harm to themselves or others. It's all pretty standard.

juliannorton1000

Mmm... I've taken a few gender and culture classes while at college. If you look at Asian society, and the Lotus effect, you tend to find that Asain females are much more susceptible to a less 'frail' disposition in terms of body health. Yea, a body can get by without eating much, and for quite a long time, too... but is that really a message we want to convey further to all female societies?

Its kinda a grey line in my own mind. I feel she has the freedom to do as she pleases, though at the same time I don't want other females to think that 'its the standard' - as many American females already do with the Beauty Myth.

In the end, I disagree that the university went to persecute her for her decision. I also disagree that you think its healthy for her to be that way, or that she chose that path without having first been cultured into it.

BinaryPulsar

With this young lady, she was always low on the BMI, she ate a lot and did not diet or restrict, She had no drop in weight or behavior change, she did not look unhealthy or have unhealthy tests or health problems, in fact she was there because of her diligence to her health.

But, I understand why an evaluation was in order. The reason why a college is more likely to follow up on an underweight person is because while being significantly overweight can lead to health problems later on and a shortened life (if allowed to go on for a long time), being underweight by 10 pounds could lead to serious and immediate health problems for some people, including irreversible health problems such as osteoporosis. Being significantly underweight could cause a heart attack. A person could pass out, hit their head, and be left unattended. Lots of immediate and serious consequences. There is definitely a grayer area for people that are overweight and more of a risk of causing an outrage of discrimination or instilling an unhealthy body image.

And, I think it is fine for this woman to open up this conversation by speaking about it. Because on the one hand people with disordered eating and health problems need to be treated. But, also people can over react, misdiagnose, and behave harmfully towards people. It's ridiculous and it happens.

MyChocolateDiet

this article is a strange counterpart to yesterday's Binge eater who was a student who couldn't decide how to handle some post binge class missing and everyone was of the opinion that the professor should know LESS about the details. This seems to hint that university WANTS to be all up in student's business. Strange juxtaposition.

calliegirl1973

If I grew up in today's schools, my parents would probably have child services after them. my brother and I were very thin. I was a preemie, and always underweight growing up, my bones showed a lot. but my doctor was not concerned because I was where I needed to be. as an adult, I am 4ft 10. with small bones. only in the last 15 years have I been at a unhealthy weight which i am working on getting back to where my doctor said I should be, which is 99, i think 105 will be good for me.. yet i know once i get there, people will assume i am too thin, even though that's my ideal weight due to my frame.

MyChocolateDiet

I don't think it's too far off the mark for a place that accepts peoples children, sometimes away from home for the first time in their lives to protect their health.

This seems to have been looked into as a health issue for her safety not as a form or intent of discrimination. The threat appears to have been "leave" not "expulsion" or the like. Presumably this would be for the purpose of getting one's weight/health up to par if deemed too low after looking into it.

While I applaud this girl's standing up for herself and proving that it's her families way to be this size and that she is in good health, I do not think the university needs to be demonized for having standards that try to protect the health of it's students.

BinaryPulsar

But, when people commit suicide at a college or die from something people will get after the college. When I was in college there was a school psychologist. Everyone knew who she was, she was around a lot, she sometimes helped teach classes that she could contribute to, she went to events. Her main focus was to make sure everyone was getting any help they needed to make sure they did well in school and finished school. To be aware of mental health issues that can become problematic when young people are off to college and not to exacerbate it..

BinaryPulsar

I don't think it's too far off the mark for a place that accepts peoples children, sometimes away from home for the first time in their lives to protect their health.

This seems to have been looked into as a health issue for her safety not as a form or intent of discrimination. The threat appears to have been "leave" not "expulsion" or the like. Presumably this would be for the purpose of getting one's weight/health up to par if deemed too low after looking into it.

While I applaud this girl's standing up for herself and proving that it's her families way to be this size and that she is in good health, I do not think the university needs to be demonized for having standards that try to protect the health of it's students.

Yeah, I agree. I see her side and the college's side as well.

ythannah

Most institutions have a policy relating to a "duty of care". Its due to the fact that they act 'in loco parentis' - This is used to cover a very broad framework but it is in place to essentially make sure the young persons best interests are served, and that their; physical, psychological, and general well being needs are met.

Technically a "duty of care" is usually also applied by most public of services in relation to the general public. Regardless of the persons age Ex. If the police picked up an intoxicated person in the street. They would have to ensure that they were placed in a place of safety so as not to cause harm to themselves or others. It's all pretty standard.

In my country at least (I'm not in the US), there is no parental responsibility for someone age 18 or older, therefore no loco parentis responsibility.

Yes we have protective laws that come into play when a person is deemed to be a danger to themselves but the threshold is pretty high. A presumption of eating disorder wouldn't make the cut.

BinaryPulsar

Most institutions have a policy relating to a "duty of care". Its due to the fact that they act 'in loco parentis' - This is used to cover a very broad framework but it is in place to essentially make sure the young persons best interests are served, and that their; physical, psychological, and general well being needs are met.

Technically a "duty of care" is usually also applied by most public of services in relation to the general public. Regardless of the persons age Ex. If the police picked up an intoxicated person in the street. They would have to ensure that they were placed in a place of safety so as not to cause harm to themselves or others. It's all pretty standard.

In my country at least (I'm not in the US), there is no parental responsibility for someone age 18 or older, therefore no loco parentis responsibility.

Yes we have protective laws that come into play when a person is deemed to be a danger to themselves but the threshold is pretty high. A presumption of eating disorder wouldn't make the cut.

In the states it doesn't make the cut for forced care. But, the college can say they have to leave and return when they are in good health again. It has to be the person's choice to get medical help. Like I was saying, at my college, a person clearly suffering from an eating disorder would not be able to meet the qualifications to perform because they wouldn't be good enough to perform and no one would want to watch. A serious eating disorder would likely lead to them flunking out of the dance department if it was not treated. But dance is fitness oriented and involves performance and an audience. You have to meet those qualifications, just as other people have qualifications to not flunk out.

cwolfman13

I don't think it's too far off the mark for a place that accepts peoples children, sometimes away from home for the first time in their lives to protect their health.

This seems to have been looked into as a health issue for her safety not as a form or intent of discrimination. The threat appears to have been "leave" not "expulsion" or the like. Presumably this would be for the purpose of getting one's weight/health up to par if deemed too low after looking into it.

While I applaud this girl's standing up for herself and proving that it's her families way to be this size and that she is in good health, I do not think the university needs to be demonized for having standards that try to protect the health of it's students.

I concur...and there's a huge difference between expulsion and medical leave.

Branstin

In recent years, it has been stated that some children are prone to obesity at a very young age. In my opinion, this isn't any different than potential underweight children being prone to health illness. If Yale wants to institute a wellness program for all of the students then fine but they shouldn't be picking and choosing who should receive help especially when they don't know all of the students' medical histories. Without knowing the students' full medical background then they can't hide behind some notion that it will take the overweight students longer to develop health issues.

BinaryPulsar

In recent years, it has been stated that some children are prone to obesity at a very young age. In my opinion, this isn't any different than potential underweight children being prone to health illness. If Yale wants to institute a wellness program for all of the students then fine but they shouldn't be picking and choosing who should receive help especially when they don't know all of the students' medical histories. Without knowing the students' full medical background then they can't hide behind some notion that it will take the overweight students longer to develop health issues.

No, my point was that a severely underweight student could drop dead right then and there. A person that is ten pounds overweight is not going to have a serious health consequence.

And I am also small framed and weigh 100 pounds, so I also understand the side of how people can over react. But, there was also a time in high school when I weighed 88 pounds (with my clothes on) and I experienced the immediate health consequences of that, so I understand that side of it as well. My body was beginning to not function, I was not able to function, I was blacking out and falling out of the shower from how low my blood pressure was. My knees were black and blue and purple. I had trouble breathing. I had severe anemia. I hadn't had a period for 6 months.