"Shaping self-esteem and happiness: The Effects of Body Image" will be the topic of a public forum at Coastal Carolina University on Thursday, Sept. 29, at 4:30 p.m. in the Recital Hall of the Thomas W. and Robin W. Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts. This event is free and open to the public.

The panel will explore the following questions: What is a healthy attitude toward our own bodies? Why do we seemingly place so much importance on how our bodies are perceived? Does the way the media exploits and manipulates body images make it impossible to develop a healthy attitude about our bodies?

Students, faculty and staff from counseling and multicultural student services will lead the discussion. The faculty members participating include Franklin Ellis, assistant director of multicultural student services; Chris Donevant-Haines, assistant director of counseling services; and Karen Howard-Goss, director of accessibility and disability services.

This event is a Tea & Ethics lecture sponsored by CCU's Jackson Family Center for Ethics and Values. The purpose of the center is to cultivate and promote awareness in the community of the importance of personal and professional integrity.

The Edwards Recital Hall is in room 152 of the Edwards College, at 133 Chanticleer Drive W. on the Conway campus. For more information, contact Brian Edgerton, assistant director of the Jackson Center for Ethics & Values, at 843-349-4149 or email him at bjedgert@coastal.edu.