Students and faculty gathered at the Student Activity Center to discuss food culture on campus, its effects on students and the tools used to combat the often unnoticed issues Thursday night.
The event, hosted by F.H. King Students for Sustainable Agriculture, featured panelists including University Health Services Eating Disorders Coordinator Chanda Bolander and UHS nutritionist Marcia Brown.
According to their website, F.H. King Students for Sustainable Agriculture is a student organization that aims to bring critical awareness about food systems, land use and sustainability issues at UW.
Brown stressed the importance for students to reflect on their eating habits and acknowledge the change in dietary lifestyles during their transition to college.
“What I always see about the student lifestyle is that it’s just weird when it comes to food,” Brown said. “Typically, across the globe people come together to eat. Students tend to eat solo a lot.”
Brown linked the abnormality of student schedules to a host of issues regarding students’ relationships with food: including disruption of natural circadian rhythm and feelings of guilt surrounding eating.
Bolander linked the lack of confidence in taking ownership over their eating habits to more broad university policies on transitioning students to life on their own.
“I think we don’t do a good job of setting you up for success.” Bolander said. “It’s like ‘oh now you’re on a college campus you have to worry about being independent, finances, classes, food, sleep everything.’ Food might slide backwards on the list of priorities.”
The panel additionally discussed the stigma on college campuses surrounding food and body image.
“College campuses create this fear,” Bolander said. “There’s a competitive nature of it all.”
Ideas such as a shuttle to more cost-effective food options for students such as Woodman’s Market and Pick 'n Save were mentioned as the panel concluded.
