Healthy eating is a hot topic these days, but students are often faced with the dilemma of convenience versus healthy eating when it comes to dining on campus.

“I only eat on campus a couple of times a month or so,” said Johanna Letson, a senior. “Sometimes I eat there just for convenience when I’m on campus and starving and out of groceries at home. I always find myself wishing there were more healthy options.”

Sodexo General Manager Alan Kinkead is trying to eliminate that dilemma for students by providing the nutritional information and dining options around campus that students need.

“Between the online menus and pamphlets available, students can find all of the nutrition information that they might need in order to make healthy decisions,” Kinkead said. “I just try and focus on what makes sense for students.”

Students do have healthy dining options on campus and many of those are at Towers Cafeteria, Kinkead said.

“We started a program last fall in Towers called ‘Mindful’ which is aimed at trying to provide more healthy options for students,” Kinkead said. “I eat at Towers often so I know there are some healthy options on campus.”

Letson lives near campus and tries to eat at home as much as possible, she said.

“There are salads available (on campus), but I feel like I can go home and eat a salad for cheaper,” Letson said. “We have Sub Connection in the GUC, but I don’t care much for it. When I ate there I only got a bunch of calories piled on a piece of bread.”

Senior Meagan Blackburn agrees Sub Connection may be one of campus’ healthiest dining options.

“I think the healthiest option is the sandwich place which still isn’t great,” Blackburn said. “Other than that, there aren’t a lot of healthy choices.”

Junior Brooke Lytle said she rarely eats on campus.

“I’m picky so I never usually eat on campus,” Lytle said. “There just isn’t much that is healthy.”

Junior Andrew Quillen said he only eats at Sub Connection because everything else is too greasy.

“I would like to see something like a salad bar put in,” Quillen said. “Something with different options and fresh vegetables every day.”

Lytle said she would like to see something like that put in the GUC as well.

“I would like to see them put in a juice bar with real fruit and vegetables, not the powdered stuff,” Lytle said.