Your Voice Counts allows students to voice their opinion on dining options on campus. | Courtesy of UH Dining Services
Various departments on campus work together to provide students the resources necessary for a healthy lifestyle, but students don’t always approve of the resources available, especially at University of Houston dining halls.
Though UH has various centers focused solely on health and wellness, students like Mary Filer seem to still feel that Dining Services “doesn’t make it easy” to eat healthy. For students like Filer, who eats a gluten-free vegetarian diet, getting nutritional resources sometimes requires leaving campus.
Even students with less dietary restrictions are wary of dining hall resources. In regards to healthy eating on campus, College of Technology student Mario Sarkis said it would be easier, “if they had healthy stuff other than salads.”
Numerous dining halls and an abundance of food retailers provide physical nourishment to the thousands of students that populate the campus daily. The diversity of the food options on campus allows students the freedom to not only choose what they eat, but also how well they eat.
For students seeking a healthy meal on campus, there are several easily accessible resources.
From Smoothie King at the Recreation and Wellness Center, to Freshii at the Student Center, students are provided with various food vendors that accept both Cougar Cash and credit cards. When the food retailors don’t have what a student needs, the UH dining halls have many options that cater to all dietary restrictions.
“This [is a] crucial time during students’ lives: when they’re about to embark into adulthood and be making their own meals,” said UH registered dietician Danielle McFeron. “This is the time when you should be asking questions.”
Last semester, McFeron became the campus dietitian, working to support students and faculty in making healthy eating choices. McFeron is available for free nutrition consultation for any student or faculty member and will also participate in the National Eating Disorders Awareness (NEDA) Week hosted by the Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Services, beginning Feb. 27.
In addition to providing an abundance of resources for healthy eating, UH Dining Services also presents opportunities for students to influence what foods and services are found on campus.
Among these is the Your Voice Counts program, which allows students and staff to give ongoing feedback on the products and services found at the various dining halls. Students can score and comment on the quality of their experience at any of the on-campus dining locations, including both dining halls and retail food services.
Students also have the opportunity to speak directly with Food Service Director Misty Pierce at a three-part series Dine with the Director event. This series is intended to allow students the opportunity to give direct feedback specifically regarding the dining halls.
The next of these events will be held on March 8 at Fresh Food Company from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
