Dining Services Receives a Makeover In and Out of the Kitchen

By Gianna Paone

Students returned to campus this fall to find that Wismer had undergone a bit of a makeover; however, its menu boasts some pretty sizable remodeling, too. Not only has Wismer, Ursinus’ cafeteria-like dining hall, heightened the variety of food selections offered, but it has also adopted a stronger presence of nutritional options.

Previous years’ Wismer diners may recall the hall’s former setup, which featured an octagonal salad bar at its center. The lettuce and salad toppings composed about ½ the octagon, while the other held a small organic section, a bread and bagel section with a toaster, and a section with the foods and condiments to put on them. Accepting a larger group of incoming students than ever before, Ursinus relocated the large centerpiece—replacing it with more dining space—to a dividing area between the central dining vicinity and the previously dubbed “cove” area. The new salad bar is lengthier, offers more soup options, and has a staff member who mixes a daily featured salad upon a person’s request. Unlike Jazzman’s Café, located downstairs, salad cravers don’t have to skimp on their nutrient-rich veggies or their proteins to avoid surpassing meal credit prices.

The section also features several whole-grain options, such as barley or quinoa, which were rarely offered before and which are sometimes mixed with fruits, vegetables, or oils. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, who suggests whole grain consumption as fulfillment of the Food Pyramid’s “grains” component, even offers the mixed-dish preparation as a way to encourage personal or others’ whole grain intake. Also located at the salad bar, the new organic section features more consistent vegetable options than previously and, along with the non-organic salad section, has become more vegetarian-friendly by offering alternative protein sources, such as beans and tofu, daily.

The hall has also added a deli section, which offers hot, cold, and breakfast sandwiches prepared for each individual’s order, an assortment of bread types—more whole grains!—side dishes such as coleslaw, and, like salads, a featured sandwich that varies daily.

On its company Web site, Sodexo—Dining Services’ food provider—explains, “A balanced diet is an essential part of your students' overall health and well-being.” While Wismer diners are not simply handed a well-balanced meal, they are—due largely to the recent changes—provided with an array of selections with which to prepare their own.

Ursinus’ healthful changes extend beyond Wismer. Through a considerably revamped Web site, Dining Services enables students not only to preview Wismer’s menu for the current week, but also to view which items offered will be vegan- or vegetarian-friendly, carb-friendly, and/or well-balanced. Additionally, many items on the menu can be clicked to reveal a pop-up of their nutrition facts and, in some cases, ingredients. The site also offers a calculator through which any offered food items’ nutrition contents can be seen (that is, Wismer or Zack’s foods), a body mass index (BMI) calculator, a link through which questions can be emailed to Sodexo’s Registered Dietician, and a variety of additional links to health-related Web sites. Furthermore, Dining Services’ site offers a tip-of-the-day, such as “Eat an Apple! A 3" Diameter Size is the Original 100 Calorie Snack!”

While efforts to make healthy food options more available to the Ursinus community have clearly been implemented, many still have concerns—particularly with regards to Zack’s Food Court. Sophomore Elle Kurz says, “I wish Zacks’ healthy foods weren’t so expensive. It costs so much more to get a salad than chicken nuggets.” An immediate solution to the popular concern has yet to be offered, but the dilemma is not specific to Zack’s. According to a 2007 study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, low-energy-density foods (i.e. whole grains, lean meats, low-fat dairy, fruits, and vegetables) are more expensive per kilocalorie and have increased in price disproportionately to their less healthy, energy-dense counterparts. Thus, while Dining Services strongly encourages student feedback year-round, perhaps students, faculty, or staff members might also consider working toward the change on a larger scale, where healthier eating choices may require more sacrifice than just dining dollars.

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