Law School Hunger Striker Ends Fast; Eyewitness…
Law School Hunger Striker Ends Fast; Eyewitness Says She Is Weak, Fatigued and Thinner
August 31, 2010, 3:25 pm CDT
A blogger who went on a hunger strike to protest the lack of transparency in law schools has ended her hunger strike after 24 days because of health concerns.
Zenovia Evans, who originally used the name Ethan Haines at her blog UnemployedJD.com, says in a statement that her physician advised her to end the hunger strike because of medical complications and the potential for permanent damage. She has lost 16 pounds.
An editor who met with Evans over the weekend confirmed that she appeared weak, fatigued and thinner, all evidence of a hunger strike that began on Aug. 5. Writing at Above the Law, Caleb Newquist, lead editor of the blog's sister site Going Concern, said Evans appeared devoted to her cause—greater law school transparency—but she may be sacrificing her health.
Evans had said she was turning down solid food until law schools respond to requests for better employment statistics, or until her body gives out. On day 13 of her strike, Evans told Newquist, she was diagnosed with kidney problems and she was awaiting results of new blood work expected to show further deterioration.
Evans has photos documenting her weight loss, and Newquist noted that her clothes are too big. "It was clear from my personal observation that this young woman is physically weak," he wrote. "She was moving slowly due to a significant limp that she claims was a result of her increasingly weak joints. Similarly, it was clear that she was extremely fatigued."
Newquist's conclusion: Evans' hunger strike was "ill-conceived, dangerous, and potentially fruitless."
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