I recently completed my Food Service Management rotation at Franklin Pierce University, located in beautiful Southern New Hampshire. This school hosts a close community of faculty, staff, and 1,700 students, most who eat in the dining hall. Throughout my rotation I interacted regularly with the students and faculty. They would frequently ask me for nutrition advice. Students would also request “healthier options” on the comment board, however, they had trouble defining what they believed were healthy options. I began to notice a general sense of confusion relating to food and nutrition in a large majority of the campus. To address this knowledge gap, I created my retail marketing and wellness project to reflect an overall healthy eating and exercise pattern. I chose smoothies as the menu item because many of the students on campus are busy student athletes and their time in the dining hall is limited. Smoothies are something quick, healthy, and delicious that students and faculty can grab on their way in or out of the dining hall. I wanted to grab the students’ attention as soon as they walked into the dining hall, so I borrowed a “blender bike” from another school and stationed it very close to the entrance. I also had a Ninja blender raffle prize and to receive a raffle ticket, students had to participate by riding the bike or playing a nutrition trivia game. The nutrition education piece of the event focused on an overall healthy diet with tips on staying active and eating right on campus. This event gave me the opportunity to engage with the students and have meaningful discussions about the importance health and nutrition. Overall, I had a wonderful experience at Franklin Pierce University and I am excited to return in the spring and work with the student athletes for part of my community rotation.
