RPS vs. healthy food

I am not a health nut.

But after a week of eating (somewhat) healthy food out of my parents’ fridge, the prospect of returning to our basically health-free campus is making my stomach
unhappy.

Don’t get me wrong — I like Pizza X, Chick-fil-A and Fortune Cookie and much as the next person (possibly even more than the next person). But they’re all a far cry from healthy. Fried and soaked in soy sauce tastes delicious, but there’s only so much I can take before I’m dying for some fresh fruit.

It’s hard to be healthy on campus. Throughout the last couple years, Residential Programs and Services has made a slight effort to provide healthier alternatives to fried chicken, but it’s not enough. A salad bar and sandwiches are nice, but they get kind of boring after a while.

And there aren’t many other options. Fried chicken. Greasy Chinese. Sbarro (which is NOT healthy pizza — and have you ever gotten the potatoes and let them sit for a few minutes? They congeal).

Granted, there are places other than Wright Food Court to eat, but most dining halls have similar options. The C-Stores are a bit better, but even though they’ve started offering fruit dippers and salads, the boxed dinners have a sodium content through the roof.

Even the on-campus restaurants are largely lacking. They’re absolutely delicious, but not exactly healthy.

What’s a somewhat health-conscious person to do?

I load up on deli meat and fresh fruit at the grocery store, but for some, that’s not an option. Freshmen, who are required to live on campus and often leave their cars at home, don’t have very many choices. They can trek down to Marsh or Target and get as much as they can carry. And then they have to make sure that what they buy can fit into their small, shared fridge.

All in all, it’s easier to stay on campus and eat the junk.

They call it the freshman 15 because students leave home and are suddenly free to eat whatever they want. But really, how much of it is the students’ fault for reveling in freedom and making bad food choices and how much of it is the school’s fault for not providing healthy, easily accessible options?

And the problem has only gotten worse. When my mom went to school, it was the freshman 10. And when we were checking out colleges, she was dismayed at the dining options, which often consist of fast food courts.

Healthy food is more expensive than mass-produced junk (and goodness knows the RPS bill is outrageous as it is). But it should be the school’s (and RPS’) responsibility to provide decent food for the students. Whether it be through RPS, allowing a farmer’s market in Dunn Meadow (as one IUSA ticket proposed) or building a grocery store on or near campus (believe me, that Marsh is not close enough for people who have to walk), IU should do something.

During my freshman year (when I was car-less and stuck buying disgusting RPS food), one of the best parts of coming home was the abundance of fresh fruit my parents always keep around. I imagine a lot of freshmen have a similar experience.
By bowing to the whims of our suppliers, IU is doing wrong by its students. Even if it’s unreasonably expensive (even more so than the currently ridiculous RPS prices), at least allow a farmers’ market or a small grocery store to set up shop and provide us with some alternatives.

With all the studies about obesity leading to health problems and the White House initiative to get people to eat better, someone should take a look at IU’s dining halls and do more than shake their heads in horror at what we’re eating. Someone should do something about it — and yes, President McRobbie, I’m looking at you.

Although I’m a big fan of many of our current campus restaurants (though I haven’t quite figured out why the Union and the library both need a Pizza Hut), when that’s all there is, day after day, I would love a nice piece of fruit.

— hanns@indiana.edu