It used to be that skinny teenagers went off to college to gain the “Freshman 15.”

Now, they often arrive at Kansas University with the extra poundage.

“I do think more students are coming into the university setting with excess weight – we’ve seen a tripling of adolescent obesity in the last 20 years,” said Ann Chapman, a registered dietitian and coordinator of nutrition services at KU’s Watkins Memorial Health Center. “I think the trend just continues for some students.”

So the challenge of making sure that KU students eat wisely is getting tougher than ever, experts say. But the university is doing its part to give students healthy eating options.

“Do we feel that it’s our responsibility? Yes we do,” said Nona Golledge, associate director of KU dining services. “We need to educate and continue to educate, because they come with the habits already formed.”

The university has developed the “Better Bite” system, which uses a logo to identify cafeteria and vending machine food options that are lower in fat and higher in health potential.

And every March, KU celebrates National Nutrition Month – with dietitians putting on programs in residence halls to discuss eating and nutrition.

Samantha Remmers, a freshman from Sabetha, enjoys her lunch at Ekdahl Dining Commons in Lewis Hall.

“We find from that, we have anywhere from 5 to 10 percent that actually participate,” Golledge said.

The university, in the dining hall cafeterias, walks a fine line between giving students what they want and what they need.

“The students tend to ask for healthy options, want the healthy information at the point of service – but they still tend to choose the not-as-healthy options,” Golledge said. “So it’s a challenge to get them to eat all the healthy items – we have to have a big variety menu to meet everybody’s needs.”

Golledge added: “We tend to see, when students come to eat in our facility, because we have such a large variety, they want to try everything. So they do tend to overeat when they get to campus.”

KU is part of a society that doesn’t handle its food wisely, Chapman said.

“Food’s available 24 hours a day in our society,” she said. “Fast food is a temptation for people at all ages in the life cycle. Restaurant food in general lures people because it’s quick and easy – a lot of students don’t know how to cook.”

In the end, then, students will have to make their own decisions about how they want to eat.

“We need to provide the healthier options in our facilities, but we need to give the customers what they want – make them happy and satisfied,” Golledge said. “This is their home away from home.”

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