“Are You Wesleyan?” Apparently Not If You’re Fat.

The fairly new admissions website asks the question “Are You Wesleyan?” It shows a representation of Wesleyan’s student body (carefully selected, I assume) doing various intellectual tasks, from dancing about neurobiology to discussing Homer in the library. According to the site, being able to “contemplate infinity” and “find patterns in complexity” are important qualities for students here. I would add one other thing: not being fat. I searched through Wesleyan’s website for about half an hour and was unable to find a single picture of an overweight person.

However, it is hard to place blame on whoever selected the photos for this website as it is equally as hard to find an overweight person while walking around Wesleyan’s campus. Wesleyan constantly stresses the diversity of our student body. Wesleyan’s “At a Glance” pamphlet boasts 27% students of color and our Freeman East Asian Studies program. What I am trying to understand is why my friends could only name an average of three overweight students they knew on campus, when according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 67% of American adults are overweight.

From <<graham>> on Flickr

I don’t think that the small number of overweight students at Wesleyan is necessarily due to discriminatory admissions policies. I think that students here legitimize or validate their negative beliefs against overweight or obese individuals instead of acknowledging that their beliefs are prejudiced. While many forms of prejudice in liberal institutions like Wesleyan are subconscious, fat prejudice is still overtly displayed. From childish name calling to proclamations of disgust, I see instances of intolerance of obese people on a daily basis. So why then, if we are one of the most progressive liberal arts schools in New England with the reputation for social justice and civil liberties, is it still common practice to discriminate against overweight or obese people?

It is difficult for people to understand why an obese person wouldn’t change something about their life so that they could lose weight. Comments like “why don’t they just go to the gym” or “just don’t eat as much” are good examples. People are quick to jump to conclusions that fat people must be fat because they are lazy or do not care enough about themselves to make a change in their lifestyle. However, coming from a family where obesity is an issue, I know that many obese people would love to be skinny and have been trying their entire lives to be that way. It is easy for someone who has never struggled with weight to say that an overweight person should just “go to the gym.” But looking at the kind of exercise-crazy college students that go to our gym, I cannot imagine the kind of anxiety an overweight person must feel just stepping foot inside.

From colros on Flickr

It is easy to hold prejudice towards a group of people that is characterized as having a lot of internalized self-hatred. From NBC’s The Biggest Loser to Oprah’s weight-loss specials, we see images and hear stories of overweight people who hate themselves and want to change. When I spoke to one of the few obese people that I know on campus, he told me that he would definitely prefer to be skinny. “If people focused on helping people be who they want to be as opposed to pitying or discriminating against people who are different, I think I would be in a much better position.  I don’t need your pity, I need you to not judge me when I’m on the treadmill,” he says.

Clearly, obesity is a problem in the United States. However, holding prejudice for obese or overweight people is not a solution to the problem and we, as Wesleyan students, should know better than that. We should focus on supporting overweight people reach their goals, whatever they might be, rather than discriminating against them for looking different.

1. Reform will expand young adults’ coverage through their parents’ plan until you are 26.

If you are an artist just starting out, you are probably broke (just a guess). This will give you a few more years to get your finances together before you have to worry about finding your own policy.

Picture from sallylondon on Flickr

2. Reform will eliminate discrimination based on pre-existing conditions or medical history.

If you haven’t been able to get coverage because of a pre-existing condition, a ban on discrimination for adults will take effect in 2014. Additionally, a pool will be set up for high risk adults to get coverage until 2014. For those of you that have a child with a pre-existing condition, a ban on discrimination for children will take effect immediately.

3. Small businesses (fewer than 50 employees) will receive tax credits to help pay for their employees premiums.

If you work a second (or third) job to help pay the bills, you will now have a higher probability of being able to receive coverage from your employer.

Picture by mtsofan on Flickr

6. Reform will prohibit insurance companies from dropping individuals that become seriously ill.

7. If you are uninsured because you are unemployed or cannot afford health insurance, you’ll soon (by 2014) be able to find affordable coverage through federal subsidies or Medicaid.

Subsidies will be based on income. Individuals that choose to live without health insurance will face a fine of 2.5% of their income, up to $2085.

8. For artists or other individuals that are self-employed and buy their own individual or family plans, premiums could be up to 13% higher.

This is according to a Congressional Budget Office report. Keep in mind that predicting the cost of insurance policies in the future is difficult at best. With the 30 million people being added to insurance pools, the elimination of lifetime caps, and support for small businesses to cover their employees, it is hard to predict how the health reform bill will affect individual policies in the long-term.

Address

1905 by rustman

On the web, unlike in real life, your address is not tied to the physical place where you (or your files) reside. A domain name is your address on the web. My domain name is www.devonhopkins.com. You can purchase a domain name from a domain name registrar, like GoDaddy or NetFirms. Domain names are unique, like addresses. Only one person can own a given domain. A domain should cost around $7/year. If you are creating a personal website, like an online portfolio of your work, I recommend purchasing the domain of your full name.

To explore what domain names are available, I recommend DomainTyper, where you can see whether a domain name is available as you type it in.

Building Architecture

Working late by Thomas Hawk

Now that you have an address and a plot of land, the next step is to build the house to hold your belongings. In web terms, the architecture that holds your information is usually a CMS (content management system). Just as different types of buildings are suitable for different kinds of businesses, different CMSs are better suited to different types of websites.

Many CMSs are open-source, which means they are free, both in the sense that you don’t pay for them, and in the sense that the way they are built is available publically.   Your CMS is your blueprint of how your home on the internet is going to be built.

For most small sites and blogs, I recommend WordPress. Some web hosts can automatically install WordPress for you, and if not, it is still a fairly simple process to do in only a few minutes. In my opinion, WordPress is one of the easiest CMSs to use. There are numerous free plugins available to add additional functionality and free themes to change the appearance of your site. There are also themes that are specifically designed for artists that want to create an online portfolio. Doing a simple google search for “portfolio themes wordpress” will bring up hundreds.

There are commercial CMSs available too, but they are not necessarily better than the open-source options. There are several services online that will put together an online portfolio website for you. These services usually have a monthly and setup fee, but might be worth it if you are looking for something a little more complex than WordPress, like flash or e-commerce. Some examples are FolioSnap, ImpactFolios, Krop and Big Black Bag.

1. Before this Thanksgiving, think of your “pitch”. It should include what you have been doing and what you hope to be doing in the future. Here’s mine:

I’ve recently been blogging about how to be successful in this new period of rapidly changing media. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to find an internship this summer in social media marketing either in DC or New York.

2. Strike up a conversation with a family member or friend that you see during the break.

3. Be conscious of what you are learning from these conversations. Do they have any insights or advice for you? Do they have any contacts that might help you in the future?

4. Follow-up after the break. If there were any contacts or places to look that were recommended to you, get on it! Don’t put this step off; it might lead to your next job interview.

1. Internalize information.

Internalizing is essential in this time of information overload.  We are constantly wired in. We are surrounded by news, by information, breaking stories and investigative reports.  You scroll through hundreds of stories on Google Reader, but how much are you actually internalizing.  What are you learning? Write something down and talk about it.

Introspection by e3000 on Flickr

2. Find learning in unexpected places.

I think of every experience as an opportunity to learn about myself.  Even the crappy ones.  Sometimes we learn the most when things go wrong.  Instead of complaining about it (and wasting energy), ask yourself, “What have I learned about myself from this experience?” and move on.

3. Don’t over-think.

Studying abroad in Spain, I stress every week over whether I’ve spent my time wisely or whether I’m learning enough.  But that doesn’t mean you should!  Special experiences like college or study abroad aren’t about absorbing every little detail; they are about constantly growing as a person.  Be aware of your growth, don’t stalk it.