PITTSBURGH -- Point Park University's dance program is in the middle of a controversy, generated by a so-called "Fat List."
The school's paper, The Globe, printed a story about the list at the Conservatory of Performing Arts. The title refers to a posted list of dance students who needed to talk to faculty members about their weight.
"If someone were to come to you privately and say you need to lose weight, you can do it at your own discretion. (It) may be a healthier way," said Globe reporter Kelly Johnson who broke the story. "When you put it up on the wall for everyone to see, which is a small department, everyone knows everyone. You feel the need to lose weight, and a lot of it very drastically, so everyone can now know you're not the fat one any more."
Current dance students told Channel 4 Action News' Michelle Wright that the list was posted a couple of years ago and it isn't being posted any more. Now, if a professor wants to talk to students about weight issues, they're pulled aside privately.
"I think it's an overreaction. I mean, dancers have to maintain performance weight. I mean, people go and they want to see pretty people on stage. They don't want to see thighs jiggling… when you're in tights on stage," said Point Park sophomore Alex Langley.
All of the students Channel 4 Acton News spoke with defended the faculty for just trying to help the dance students.
"It's not just a 'fat' list. If the professor sees something is going on in your life, and you're not performing to the best of your ability, they kind of watch out for us," said Darin Paden, a freshman at the school.
Point Park University would not speak directly with Channel 4 Action News. The school did e-mail the following statement:
"Our faculty members meet personally - never publicly - with individual students to guide and mentor them with regard to their work ethic, attendance, and overall well being. We provide a variety of resources to support their efforts to maintain a healthy lifestyle, including access to a mental health counselor, a nutritionist, athletic trainers, physicians, and nutrition coursework specifically geared to dancers. We expect our dancers to be physically fit so that they can avoid injury and condition themselves for a sustainable career.""When you get into the real world, people are going to cut you in audition for that. So, unfortunately, that's the way it is. No one wants it like that. Point Park wants to teach everyone how to get to the real world," said junior Rachel Mazur.
But Johnson said she talked with several students who themselves, or their roommates, became anorexic after the list was posted.
Johnson said one in 100 female college students have an eating disorder. But the statistic is one in five for dance students.
"By targeting them and putting them up there publicly and saying, 'You're the ones that need to lose weight,' it's only adding to the eating disorder problem that exists with dancers," Johnson said.
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