The problem of finding food becomes a pressing problem for Tufts students who find themselves living off campus.
According to Dining Services Director Patti Klos, students moving off-campus and into apartments with kitchens take a number of factors into account when deciding what sort of meal plan, if any, to retain.
Whether eating healthy salads or greasy pizza, upperclassmen said that a drawback of moving off-campus is the loss of community that comes from no longer joining friends for Stir Fry night in Carmichael.
According to Klos, many upperclassmen "still find meaning in coming to the dining halls, meeting with their friends."
Junior Eliza Drachman-Jones, who lives in an apartment off-campus, expressed nostalgia for the days when she had a dining plan, saying that restricting meals to the dining halls "promotes the social experience of the freshman class."
"Now that I live off-campus, I have lost the social aspect of the dining hall, and I don't see nearly as many people," she said.
Cohen agreed, maintaining that the dining halls are a great place to meet other students. "I am definitely meeting fewer freshmen and sophomores since I moved off-campus and spend less time in the dining halls," he said.
Students seek a meal plan that allows them to eat "social" meals at the dining halls. On the other hand, upperclassmen do not want to be tied down eating at Carmichael or Dewick constantly. Klos says that one of the most popular meal plan choices for upperclassmen is the 80-meal plan. Many then choose to add anywhere from 50 to 500 points to their accounts.
The Points Plus system gives students access to all on-campus and participating off-campus dining establishments. The very convenience of using points to order tasty but patently unhealthy food from eateries like Espresso's and Wing Works, however, poses a potential problem for health-conscious students.
Junior Jon Cohen said that his eating habits have "degraded" since he moved off-campus, because he is more likely to order unhealthy food than to go to one of the dining halls. Drachman-Jones agreed, saying that her eating habits are now less healthy than they were during her first two years at Tufts.
"My meals are not as well-rounded," she said. "I definitely do not eat a real lunch unless I am eating on campus, and I am more likely to snack all day long."
On the other hand, many underclassmen feel that more flexible meal plans will allow them to eat healthier. "Freshmen and sophomores have a very limited choice when it comes to meals, and most of the food I get this year is from ordering," sophomore Sean Zinsmeister said. "I believe my eating habits will be much better when I move off-campus and can cook my own meals."
"It was tough to eat healthy [as a freshman] because the dining halls do not offer the most nutritious food," sophomore Melissa Fiorenza said. "I find it easier to eat healthier now [that I have points and am not limited to the dining halls], but I am really looking forward to eating off campus and making my own meals in my apartment."
Junior Ben Bloom attests to the possibility of eating well after moving off-campus. Bloom says that his eating habits have improved since moving off campus because he now has greater access to a wider variety of food.
Bloom feels, however, that living off campus is not necessary for eating healthfully: "I can grill food myself instead of ordering food, but there are also healthy options in the dining halls like salads and steamed vegetables," he said.
Fiorenza echoed this sentiment: "I think anyone can have healthy eating habits regardless of where they live or dine, as long as they choose healthy foods."
"Anecdotally, we think many students in off-campus apartments are very health conscious," Klos said. "They're looking for healthy, easy-to-prepare foods [to cook in their home kitchens]. We can't compete with BJ's or anything, but it seems to be filling a niche."
Jumbo Express now has a refrigerated section containing healthier foods, including options such as tabouli, lettuce, green salads, and sushi.
