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Snack Rack

Snacks Help to Relieve Stress During Finals

nyone who has had to confront the bevy of tests colleges At Texas A&M University, librarians wheel around a “Ran-
Acome up with for finals week knows that stress can have dom Snacks of Kindness” snack cart, filled with cookies,
a significant impact on student performance. crackers and chips, to students who are so intent on studying
Although students may be tempted to eat any foods that that they can’t take a short break to get something to eat.
they can get their hands on during this tension-filled period, Free snacks are offered at Penn State University as part
The Daily Illini, the student newspaper at the University of of the institution’s “De-Stress Fest,” an event held at all five
Illinois, recently suggested that stressed-out students should University Park Libraries locations.
try to maintain a healthy diet at finals time. The Arkansas Union at the University of Arkansas pro-
The menu, said Assistant Professor of Personalized Nutri- vides space for those studying during the finals period, with
tion Jaume Amengual, should include foods that are high in Union Staff periodically providing snacks and refreshments
fiber, including whole wheat, grains, fruits and vegetables. to nose-in-the-book students.
Amengual said the reason to eat these types of food dur- In late April, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Health
ing this intense period is simple: to avoid suffering from the Center hosted stress-free zones in various campus sites. Free
constipation that can come from spending the majority of the giveaways for those looking for stress relief, including snacks,
day sitting down and studying without moving. were part of these events.
Schools and universities around the country offer sugges- And at Ohio State University, a group of Buckeye moms
tions to try to relieve the pressure of the current and upcom- set up a tent on the South Oval to hand out free snacks — and
ing finals periods, and several use snacks of all kinds as one hugs — to passing stressed-out students, all free of charge.
element in helping students to achieve as stress-free a finals
week as possible.

SCSU Healthy Huskies Pack Snacks for Those in Need

t. Cloud State University, Minn., recent- provides businesses and organizations of all
Sly participated in a unique volunteer types with a turnkey way to coordinate group
effort, joining together student volunteers or “speed” volunteer efforts that promote
at 50 college campuses in 26 states — all healthy food access and nutrition education.
during the same week, the week of March “We know there is a lot of need in the
1 — to pack healthy snack packs to feed community,” said Laura Wacker-Hansen,
those in need in their own respective com- MBA, RDN, LD, marketing director for
munities. Chartwells. “Whenever there is an oppor-
A part of the Cheerios’ “Good Goes tunity to do something where we’re able to
Round Campaign,” the national program give back and do some type of volunteer
aims to help colleges and universities im- Students and other volunteers at St. event, we are so excited to do it.”
prove the health of their communities while Cloud State University, Minn., put to- The Healthy Huskies student organiza-
also promoting volunteerism on campus. gether healthy snack items to feed those tion at SCSU helped to get the word out
In partnership with General Mills, Ellen in need in their own community. and gather volunteers who came together
DeGeneres’ “One Million Acts of Good” in the middle of the student union to pack
program and Chartwells, the SCSU campus foodservice the MATTERboxes. Each box included healthy snack items
provider, students packed more than 300 MATTERbox such as Whole Grain Cheerios, Nature Valley Granola
snack packs to share with the St. Cloud Salvation Army’s Bars, nut butter and applesauce.
Emergency Services Food Shelf. The MATTERbox program Wacker-Hansen said it was impressive to see so many
students and other volunteers come together to participate
St. Cloud State University, Minn., was one of 50 schools across the country in packing the boxes, and then delivering the boxes to the
that altogether packed 30,000 snack packs to help feed the needy. Salvation Army later that day.
“It was nice to see how it all works, to make something
PHOTOS: MIKE STOEBNER people we are helping,” she said, adding that speed volun-
happen and feel a connection to the organization and the
teer efforts like this make a lot of sense for campuses, as
college students are very interested in volunteerism, but
may not always have a lot of time.
“The neat thing about this program is students could
join in no matter how much time they had. That was a big
draw,” Wacker-Hansen said.
To see which 50 campuses joined in the effort,
visit www.oncampushospitality.com

22 | MARCH/APRIL 2018 ON-CAMPUS HOSPITALITY