To some, REbeL is simply identified with free cookies and candy, while to others it is an important club that deals with acceptance and self-confidence. However, a large portion of the student body believes that REbeL is a non-inclusive group, sophomore member Megan Miller said.

“A lot of people have said how they think [REbeL] is not inclusive because of the interview process, but you have to realize we do discussions that are one-on-one, and it needs to be a small group,” Miller said. “[A lot of people think] that it’s just about pretty girls coming together, which is not the whole message.”

Senior Michelle Chen said she believes it is ironic that REbeL is a club that is tries to spread inclusion, yet does not allow everyone to be a member of the club.

“I don’t hate REbeL,” Chen said. “But, sometimes it does seem hypocritical that an organization that advocates for inclusion of all people, loving yourself and loving others has a restriction on the number of people that can be in the organization.”

REbeL sponsor Carolyn Potter said that the application and interview process allows for the club to accept the members that truly want to dedicate their time and contribute to the organization. She also said that the number of students being accepted into REbeL has risen over the past few years and that having the application process does not mean that REbeL is trying to exclude anyone in any way.

“I completely understand that criticism,” Potter said. “But when you think about other clubs such as StuGo – StuGo has elected representatives and leaders, and you don’t complain about the fact that there’s only a few people doing that, because everyone can still be involved in class activities, just like how REbeL tries to include the rest of the school with the ‘you are beauty-full’ notes or when we do the whiteboard photos at lunch.”

One of REbeL’s main goals this year is to clarify their message so that misconceptions can be avoided. For example, Potter said that a common misconception about REbeL is that the organization’s comments do not seem genuine.

“We really want people to believe that [the compliments] are genuine, because we do mean everything that we promote,” Potter said. “One thing that we’ve tried this year to clarify that with is at lunch, we allowed students to write the ‘you are beauty-full’ notes to other students.”

Another factor that is going into clarifying REbeL’s message to the student body is the changes that will be put in place for what was formerly Fat Talk Free Week. The name Fat Talk Free Week was recently copyrighted by the Delta Delta Delta sorority, and REbeL is no longer allowed to use the name. Members are still trying to decide on a new name. Furthermore, REbeL felt as if there were some negative connotations with the week in previous years, and wants to change the week so that it will have a more positive focus.

Although REbeL is planning on implementing these changes for a more positive view of the club, there are also students who support REbeL the way that it currently is.

“I like [REbeL] and I think it has a really good message,” sophomore Lexy Moszyk said. “I think it’s a good club to have at school. They’re always sending out good messages and making people more confident about themselves.”

Junior Cara Lunsford, a member of REbeL’s leadership team, said that REbeL is going to be much more involved with the school this year, so that everyone will know what REbeL is about.

“We are going to try and put our message up to the student body as much as we can, and just try to stick with one simple and clear message so that everyone knows what we’re about,” Lunsford said.