Sorority to participate in denim recycling

Each year, Delta Delta Delta hosts Fat Talk Free Week, a week dedicated to encouraging women to talk and feel more positive about their bodies. It also challenges women to eliminate talking about looking fat or feeling fat. Fat Talk Free Week is observed by Tri-Delt chapters nationwide, typically during the third week of October. As part of Fat Talk Free Week, the K-State chapter is holding a Denim Drive.

Molie Colpitt, senior in dietetics and public health nutrition, is the body image coordinator of K-State's chapter of Tri Delta. Colpitt said the Denim Drive involves Tri-Delt collecting denim from students all over campus and donating the items to Cotton's program From Blue to Green, which then turns the denim into housing insulation.

"Research done on body image tells us that keeping clothes that don't fit is damaging to self esteem," Colpitt said.

Some chapters across the nation have hosted clothing drives in the years past, but this is the first year that Tri-Delt has promoted the program on a larger scale, Colpitt said.

Sarah Williamson, director of educational initiative of Tri Delta's executive office in Arlington, Texas, said the office reached out to seven chapters this year to host the Denim Drive, including K-State. Williamson said Tri Delta executives are interested in seeing how the chapters use their own creativity to bring awareness to the overall cause of Fat Talk Free Week.

"We were brainstorming and reached out to chapters that we thought would do a great job," Williamson said. "We made sure we could send our executive board members to each of these events, and see what the program looks like."

Tri-Delt will have a collection booth in the K-State Student Union on Monday, Oct. 17 through Thursday, Oct. 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Students are encouraged to bring jeans and other forms of denim to donate either at the booth, in a collection box in their dorm common areas, or at the Tri Delta house.

"We allow ourselves to be haunted by items of clothing that are too big or too small," Williamson said. "While Tri Delta has brought the campaign to change the conversation, anyone can take part."