The “freshmen 15” is every new college student’s nightmare. It’s hard to avoid when faced with so many options on the menu.
As you walk down the cafeteria aisles, which are conveniently filled with delicious and tasty foods, you quickly grab a plate and add as much as you desire. In the hallways of Seton Hill University (SHU), there are always scattered vending machines filled with candy and chips of your liking.
Although currently closed for renovations, the cove, SHU’s fast food facility, provides students with an easy way to pick up their favorite foods. However, this may not always be the healthy route to go when trying to avoid the “freshman 15.”
The wonderful tastes fulfill your every need, but the daunting voice in your head reminds you of the “freshmen 15” everyone warned you about.
For incoming freshmen, entering into a new environment without the guidance of friends and family from back home can be a scary transition. Finding new friends, getting accustomed to the heavy workload and maybe even staying healthy can all be difficult to new freshmen.
“The biggest problem with people coming into college is that they eat huge quantities of food because it’s simply there,” said sophomore Tori Stipcak.
SHU provides a variety of different meals suitable for the needs of the students. Whether you’re a vegetarian or meat-lover, SHU offers different ways to incorporate healthy meals throughout the year.
“Right before I came to school, I became a vegetarian, which impacted my life greatly,” said Stipcak. “Seton Hill always provides a good variety of vegetables and fresh fruit in the salad bars, pasta and other types of foods vegetarian students or staff members can have. I tend to eat a lot of pasta that contain no meat and salads.”
The food service at SHU, Aramark, provides healthy nutritious meals for the school community.
“We try to make our meals with healthy ingredients. We try to use the healthier route. For example, we tend to bake our foods instead of fry them,” said cafeteria worker and junior Kirsty Lamont.
Seton Hill also provides students with useful exercise classes for all students to participate in during the weeks.
Sophomore Shayla Jones tries to go to Zumba classes weekly: “It’s so much fun and I recommend this unique way of exercising to anyone who loves to dance.”
Zumba is available every Monday and Wednesday in the McKenna Center aerobics room for an hour-long session beginning 5:30 p.m.
Along with exercise classes, SHU also provides a well-equipped weight room that is open weekly Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. for students and faculty members to use.
“I try to go to the weight room at least four times a week. I like to lift some weights and occasionally I run on the treadmill. This gives me a chance to take control of my health,” said sophomore Akil Peters.
The SHU community presents different ways for students to stay in shape by providing healthy foods and exercise classes for all students and staff members. For the incoming freshman of the new semester, it may be easy to fall into the trap of the “freshmen 15,” but by staying focused and making wise decisions when it comes to meals, you can always win this battle.