McKelvy House Invites Campus to Dinner Discussion on “Obesity in America”

The McKelvy House Scholars invite the campus to join a dinner discussion Sunday evening on “Obesity in America.”

Dinner will begin 6 p.m. at McKelvy House, 200 High Street; RSVP by Saturday to oreganb. Led by McKelvy Scholar Brendan Aidan O’Regan ’06 (Ringwood, N.J.), a government and law major, the discussion will start at 6:30 p.m. and requires no reservations.

“My point in this discussion is to explore the ‘crisis’ this nation faces as a result of the increase in overweight and obese people,” he explains.

The discussion will explore questions such as:

• Should obesity be considered a disease outright?
• Should obesity be considered a treatable disease by insurance companies?
• What actions should be taken by government, if any, to resolve the issue?
• Is obesity a measure of personal responsibility for most, or do genetics play a large part; should genes be used as an excuse to avoid treatment for being overweight?
• Should cosmetic surgeries be performed on those who wish it; in other words, are bariatric surgeries, etc. a quick fix, another simple solution to a complex problem?

O’Regan recommends the following articles as background for the discussion:
http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/DS/00314.html
http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/conditions/01/21/obesity.spending.ap/
http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health/nutrit/pubs/statobes.htm

Since 1962, the McKelvy House Scholars program has brought together Lafayette students with a wide range of majors and interests to reside in a historic off-campus house and share in intellectual and social activities. Weekly Sunday dinner discussions that engage the students in debate and exchange of ideas are the hallmark of the program. Most members also contribute to the annual McKelvy Papers, written on a topic of each person’s choice. McKelvy Scholars participate in activities together such as field trips to plays, concerts, and exhibits, and sponsor events for the campus as well.

McKelvy discussions from 2003-04:
April 25 — Anti-foundationalist critique of philosophy
April 18 – Dark humor
April 11 — Cults
April 4 — Link between ethical behavior and intelligence
March 28 — Five Images of Man
March 7 — Idealized body forms
Feb. 22 — Countercultures
Feb. 15 — Eternity
Feb. 8 — Bisexuality
Dec. 7 — Anger toward computers and technology
Nov. 9 — “Unnecessary” crimes
Nov. 2 — Genetic alteration
Oct. 26 — Social construction of gender
Oct. 19 — Greed as an economic force
Sept. 28 — Value