When prospective students visit The College of Wooster, as in any college, one of the first concerns they have is usually about the food.† If you’re going to spend four years in rural Ohio racking up tens of thousands of dollars in debt, you might as well be eating well.† Wooster’s new “Healthy Scots” program is one of the many ways the College is trying to improve its cafeteria options. However, even with these attempts Wooster misses the true problem with its dining.
Over my four years at Wooster there have been tremendous improvements in dining options.† The new meal plan options, which include Flex dollars as well as the introduction of to-go boxes at Lowry, made scheduling meals around students’ busy schedules more realistic.† The College listened to students’ concerns when enrollment increased.† They created alternative dining options at Pop’s Sub Stop, and the Scot Dog Stand as well as re-opening the beloved Kittredge Dining Hall for lunch hours.
The College is attempting to add another improvement to the list with its “Healthy Scots” program.† This program offers both meal suggestions and portion sizes for a healthy meal. Dining Services has also worked hard to gather information from students about their food preferences and meal choices.† I applaud the College for recognizing that unhealthy eating is an issue at our school, and I do believe that the “Healthy Scots” program has great potential.† However, in order for the program to be successful, students must recognize that even in smaller portions, chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese, and mashed potatoes do not make a healthy or balanced meal.† In order for this to happen, the College needs to work on not only providing this information on paper, but actually changing the way food is laid out in the cafeteria.† If three of the options at “Basics” are heavy starches and the fourth option is fried, then students are still being shown that these should be basic parts of their diet.
As the College continues to grow, it is important for it to recognize that the people who complain ó the students ó are also the best people to go to in order to find a solution.† The dining options will always be a controversial point for students because, let’s face it, when you’re in college you spend a large portion of your day eating.† But if Wooster continues to recognize that improvements are necessary, then I think the College will be able to make successful changes and gain the appreciation of the students.
Hannah Diorio-Toth is a Viewpoints Editor for the Voice. She can be reached for comment at HDiorio-Toth11@wooster.edu.