Gustavus will be the host of three different speakers next week, centralized on the topics of the regulation of food, the importance of nutrition and consumerism. Beginning on Feb. 28 through to Mar. 3, speakers will be presenting on multiple aspects of self-regulation in healthy eating (as well as buying) habits and food perspectives.

On Feb. 28, Dr. Kathleen Vohs ’96, Land O’ Lakes Professor of Marketing and McKnight Presidential Fellow in the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, will present the 2011 John Kendall Lecture Series address at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 28 in Wallenberg Auditorium, located on the second level of the Nobel Hall of Science.

Vohs’s lecture is titled “Small Reminders of Money Produce Big Changes in Behavior” and is free and open to the public. As an internationally recognized leader in the field of psychology, she will speak about how impulsive spending, overeating among dieters and making a bad impression can affect self processes, such as the self esteem and the effects it has on choices and self-regulatory ability.

On Mar. 2, 2011, author and professor Psyche Williams-Forson will visit Gustavus to present her lecture “Bet Your Bottom Dollar: Expanding the Concept of Alternatives in a Changing Food World.” This lecture is a part of Gustavus’s Global Insight 2010-11 program on food and will be at 7:00 p.m. in Olin Hall room 103.

“Her talk is going to explore the question of sustainability by asking, ‘How can we think beyond organic versus conventional?’” Professor of Philosophy Lisa Heldke said. Heldke is presenting at a two-day long workshop at the University of Minnesota with Williams-Forson concluding that weekend. “How can we think about sustainable foods in ways that address the economic spectrum? Can we talk about sustainability in connection to shopping at the Dollar Store,” Heldke said. These are all questions that Williams-Forson will tackle.

“At a time when food access and security is heavily on the minds of food system researchers, it seems imperative that we consider many options including the role of the value market as an immediate place of food acquisition,” Williams-Forson said, in an interview with Marketing and Communications Manager Matt Thomas. “Based on preliminary research, this talk encourages our consideration of value stores among other kinds of sites that can challenge how we define terms like ‘alternative’ and ‘sustainability.’”

On Mar. 3, 2011, top lecture entertainer and health educator Deanna Latson will be presenting in Alumni Hall at 6:30 p.m. As an author of several articles and a contributing writer of multiple books on nutrition, Latson will speak about her experience with improving health and the well-being of not only herself, but also how she has helped her parents and audiences of students, employees and community members all over the country. She speaks about how making simple changes in one’s diet can change numerous other factors of one’s life. Latson is unique in that she incorporates her own stories and experiences to captivate the audience.

“Deanna is a nationally known speaker about health and nutrition, and the lecture that she gives is eat right, feel good, look great,” Senior Biology Major Keisha Bates said. As a Peer Assistant, Bates had the opportunity to attend one of Latson’s lectures in November at the BACCHUS General Assembly held each year. “She talks about food and the choices you make with your diet and how that can affect your school and your future. She does it in an empowering sort of way that encourages students in only the most positive way. She improved our lives, and we wanted her to have the same effect on students and the campus.”

The three lectures, along with the Nobel Conference theme of food, are all meant to educate and improve our understanding of food and how it impacts our lives. Students are encouraged to attend lectures, as they are all opportunities that are free to the public.