Controversial campus issues and debates

¶ … Freshman Fifteen

Dear Editor:

What is the "freshman fifteen?" It's the fifteen pounds or more that many freshman gain during their first year away from college and their first year living away from home. After spending more than a month on campus, it is easy to see why the freshman fifteen is such a pervasive problem.

One of the problems when freshman leave home is the lack of parental supervision. Suddenly, we can do what we want, when we want, and it's heady stuff. We can eat what we want, too, and we usually do. Part of college life is learning about self-control, and dining is just one of the areas we need to control as we begin our new, adult lives. However, it's not all about freedom and choice as we make our way through our freshman year, there are some pretty bewildering options on and off campus that complicate the dining out choices.

Walking around the campus, it hits me, there's food everywhere. From snack vending machines in the business building filled with an array of high-carb, high-calorie options, like chips, nuts, and crackers and peanut butter, to the coffee cart on the quad, and the food court in the commons, there are food choices everywhere, and most of them are not healthy, well-balanced meal-type food choices. They are designed for speed and ease of eating on the run, which we students tend to do a lot. It's much easier to grab a burger and gobble it down between classes on the run, than it is to juggle a salad. French fries take a lot less effort than a rice bowl or a Subway sandwich. Sure, we can make our own choices, but often, we opt for what's easiest, and it may not be the healthiest, and so, we pack on the pounds.

Another problem is dorm living. Many students who live in the dorms have no idea how to cook, and with the limited space and kitchen area, there aren't so many options for dorm dwellers. Microwaves are a must, but there's only so much you can microwave before you go nuts. The cafeteria is a popular choice, but it's easy to overdo it when everything is spread out before you, tempting you when you're most vulnerable, hungry and stressed over a long day of classes.

I think the best solution to the problem of weight gain is two-fold. First, the campus dining options need to be more versatile and healthier. Fast food is fine, but there have to be some other dining options for students. The cafeteria has a salad bar, but even then, with dressings and add-ons, the calories can pile on. Instead of strictly fast-food options in the food court, how about a local restaurant owner that specializes in healthy food, even vegetarian? How about Wild Oats, bringing in some of their foods from their deli, or Sweet Tomatoes setting up in the food court? That would be a great alternative to the fast-food choices, and healthier, too. How about removing some of the high calorie options in the vending machines, and replacing them with healthier choices, like fruit, juice, and low-fat chips. I hear my friends complaining about the food choices, that everything's "fattening and gross," but I don't see them doing anything about it. Maybe it's time we did. The university could help by distributing nutritional information, including calorie counts of the food available on campus now, to every new student each semester. It might be costly to start, but ultimately, our health is more important than printing costs.