Ever wonder why you gain those extra pounds notoriously known as the "freshman 15?" The change of environment or the additional stresses of a more challenging academic curriculum might be contributing factors. But at DePauw, the Hub is the main culprit to blame for the unwanted extra pounds.
There are three main reasons as to why the Hub contributes to the "freshman 15." The food selection offered at the Hub is limited and the unhealthy to healthy food ratio is incredibly disproportionate toward junk food. In the Hub, unhealthy options such as pizza, burgers, fries, Chinese food, carbonated beverages and sweets are offered in a much greater quantity than healthy options such as sandwiches, wraps, milk and some of the to-go items. Other schools, such as Tufts University, offer a plethora of food options like top-cut meats and more locally grown produce.
DePauw, however, lacks those healthy options, and overall, it's more difficult to maintain healthy eating habits in the Hub. A little research on caloriecount.com proves it. If students order one of the Pizza Hut personal pan cheese pizzas, they consume 650 calories that contain 26 grams of total fat, 11 of those saturated, 60 milligrams of cholesterol and 1,370 mg of sodium. However, if a student decides to consume a 6-inch turkey sub with lettuce, tomato, green peppers, cucumber and no cheese or dressing, then they digest 280 calories with three and a half grams of fat, of which one gram is saturated, 20 mg of cholesterol and 810 mg of sodium. Unfortunately, this health gap is much too common in the Hub.
Second, the physical arrangement of food does not work in favor of the super-involved DePauw student. The Hub is set up for "on-the-go" students. If a student wants to maximize his or her study time, he or she will likely be tempted to grab the prepackaged personal pizzas or order pre-made Asian food. By doing so, they do not have to wait in the always endless lines at the Food Lab or invest the time in waiting to make a sandwich, not to mention waiting in line to pay. After all, many of us complain about not having enough hours in the day, so why not save some much needed time?
Third, the Hub does not favor the student living on a budget. A regular burger, served with five ounces of meat, lettuce, tomato, pickle and onion is $3.59, while a custom sandwich is $3.99. Students who have the traditional meal plan have $1,600 for 16 weeks, averaging about $14 a day. Assuming that a student buys three meals each day and stays on campus for the entire 16 weeks, a student will spend $1,206.24 when purchasing the cheaper meal and $1,340.64 on the healthy option. Thus, they will save $134.40, which they can spend on more food in addition to the $259.36 left in their accounts. This extra money can be spent on midnight snacking and overeating. Plus, the expenditures only increase if students decide to eat especially healthy but pricey organic food.
While DePauw offers healthy options in its main cafeteria, they are not balanced with the amount of unhealthy options available. As a result, students tend to make poor health choices that, over time, may lead to serious health problems. Plus, students who want to appropriately budget their money will be prone to cheaper fast food options. In order to provide students with the best preparation for their lives after college, DePauw needs to properly feed its students.
—Bruynseels is a freshman from River Forest, Ill., intending to major in economics.
opinion@thedepauw.com