Photo: Ally Bonicker

The Office of Student Activities, Well-being and Recreation (SAWR) is sponsoring SAWR Loser, a six-week fitness incentive program, run by Assistant Director of Strength and Fitness Chad Gerhard. The sports program is running from Monday, Feb. 3 to Friday, March 13. Sign-ups were provided at the Bowers Center for Sports, Fitness and Well-Being Fitness Desk. There are currently 17 participants in SAWR Loser.

According to Gerhard, SAWR Loser was “developed as a way to respond to many individuals’ interest in making healthy lifestyle changes but not sure how to get started.” Overall, Gerhard noted how the program’s goal is to “enhance multiple dimensions of wellness.”

Throughout the program, participants are required to take part in weekly weigh-ins. As part of the weigh-ins, a weekly winner is recognized. To gain additional points, participants have the option to attend group fitness classes and cooking demonstrations in the Bowers Center. Winners are determined based on the highest percentage of weight loss and are then awarded a prize. An overall winner is determined based on the addition of overall percentage of weight lost and points earned through attendance at group fitness classes and cooking demonstrations.

However, concerns about the program have arisen from faculty, staff and students alike. Junior secondary English education major Emmett Ferree has expressed his concerns to faculty at Elizabethtown College.

In his correspondence, Ferree first contacted Vice President of Student Life Celestino Limas and was then referred to Director of the Bowers Center Whitney Crull. Ferree expressed that while the program itself has good intentions, it is being portrayed poorly. Ferree pointed out the program’s similarity to the Biggest Loser, which he described as “the most toxic weight loss show” that “promotes unhealthy habits.” He noted that Elizabethtown College has had other incidents with properly promoting healthy habits and questioned how the program was approved, since it has some negative connotations from its connection to the television show.

“It’s never good to make weight loss a competition,” Ferree said.

In a phone interview, Ferree also raised concerns about SAWR Loser in relation to eating disorders. Ferree noted that the program could promote unhealthy habits associated with eating disorders as well as harm people who are recovering from an eating disorder. He noted how there was “a lot of disregard for the mental health side of things.”

“We certainly recognize the severity of eating disorders, which is why professionals in exercise science and nutrition are monitoring participants on a weekly basis,” Gerhard said in response to Ferree and other’s concerns about SAWR Loser and eating disorders. Gerhard also noted that they intend to demonstrate healthy habits by encouraging participants to attend cooking demonstrations to learn about nutrition and attend fitness classes to promote healthy physical activity.

“We feel with the amount of checkpoints in place, we should be able to identify individuals partaking in extreme or unhealthy ways to reach their goal and respond immediately with additional resources,” Gerhard said. To aid students, staff will refer them to Assistant Director of Health Promotion Joni Eisenhauer, Counseling Services or Penn State Hershey Medical Group’s Eating Disorder Clinic if the student is interested in an off-campus medical care facility.

Regarding SAWR Loser and its similarity to Biggest Loser, Gerhard said that SAWR Loser is “simply a ‘play on words’” and noted that the wordplay is the only association between the program and the reality television show. Gerhard echoed Ferree’s sentiments as he described the Biggest Loser as an “unhealthy, and also an unsustainable, way to develop healthy habits, which is why our programming is based on more than one aspect of wellness.”

In an e-mail interview, Director of Counseling and Health Needs Bruce Lynch emphasized that SAWR Loser is intended to focus on a broad definition of health, beyond just weight. However, Lynch did admit the potential for abuse of the program.

“Because the program also includes a weight loss … competition, there is potential for some students to become overly focused on that aspect,” Lynch said. Lynch also noted how the program could have been advertised differently.