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Letter of Transmittal

April 24, 2022

Rhea Law
President
University of South Florida

Dear President Law,

We are submitting a recommendation to improve the food service options for the students
and staff at University of South Florida.

The purpose of this is to inform you of the reasons why USF should provide healthy food
options for their students. This letter will explain what USF has available to their students now
and how healthy options will be beneficial for students. Overall, students could improve in their
school work and lifestyle if they were provided with nutritious foods.

We hope that you consider our request with your approval.

Thank you,

Austin Clark, Alexia Loreth, Harsh Patel, & Mohamed Hamed

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University of South Florida Healthy Food Option

Austin Clark, Alexia Loreth, Harsh Patel, & Mohamed Hamed

ENC 3250 – Professional Writing

Professor Deborah McLeod

April 24, 2022

Table of Contents
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Letter of Transmittal _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1

Title Page _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 2

Executive Summary _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _4

Introduction _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 5

Problem/Need _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 6

Solution _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 7

Implementation _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 8

Call to Action _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 9

References _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 10

Executive Summary
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Most universities are currently not providing enough variety of healthy options for students.
Having a variety of healthy options is very beneficial for students because it helps improve
productivity, stay focused, and be able to perform better in general. The downsides of students
not being able to consume a variety of healthy foods could affect them with their mood levels,
feeling sluggish or tired, and even lacking important vitamins and nutrients. Students who have a
better diet and eat better foods will feel better and will end up performing better than those who
don’t. Diet is a very important part of our lives, and making sure students are able to get healthy
foods at an affordable price is essential.

Some students aren't able to eat most of the current food options at the dining halls because of
dietary restrictions. There should be more options available for students who aren't able to
consume certain foods because of their dietary restriction or religious purposes. Students should
be able to recommend certain foods or items to be included in the dining hall as it will satisfy the
important students needs and requests. There are students with different ethnicities and religions,
which some have certain restrictions on what they can or cannot eat. It’s important to make sure
all students are accommodated to meet their specific ethinic and religious needs.

There are many reasons why improving and increasing the variety of healthy foods can help
students. Having a better diet can help students feel better, which will allow them to be able to
better focus on their tasks at hand. If students are able to perform better on their day to day, it
will allow them to increase the amount of work they will be able to complete. Having a healthy
diet isn't something that can be replaced with vitamins or supplements. Healthy options should
be a vital part of the dining halls and there needs to be more focus put on it. Many students show
improvements in There should be more healthy options available for USF dining halls for
students.

Eating healthy food can improve the students college experiences. They will feel better and will
be able to focus more on whats important to them. Students experience many pros and benefits
for those who eat healthy foods and follow a healthy diet.

Introduction
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Having access to healthy and nutritious meals on college campuses is essential for students and
staff to perform their best. While in college, students are developing habits that will last a
lifetime, one of the most important being eating habits. According to NYU, eating healthy in
college helps students “increase energy levels, promotes a functioning immune system, improves
their ability to cope with stress, and increases concentration and performance in school.” The
University Of South Florida has many food options on campus, but not many of the food halls
offer a variety of healthy food options for students. University students need access to these
nutritious foods in order to perform their best and be successful in college. There are also many
students that have dietary restrictions that go to USF. However, the dining hall is not very
accommodating to students that have food restrictions such as vegan, gluten free, vegetarian, and
religious food restrictions.

The purpose of this paper is to make improvements to the University of South Florida’s dining
halls. The students of USF are in need of a dining hall that has options for nutritious foods and is
able to accommodate various dietary restrictions. The healthy options and healthy foods that
should be provided will have a great benefits for students and will see improvements physically
and mentally. A bad diet can affect a students life in many different ways, so it is best for a
student to have the best possible healthy options for an affordable price. Students arent the most
well off financially, so it is important that we provide them affordable plans. The students need
to be provided with these nutritious options at a reasonable price.

In order to implement these changes and solve this problem, we would have to start with
discussing the issue with the USF dining advisory council. After the problem is identified, the
dining advisory council will be able to look into food vendors and wholesale companies that can
provide these nutritious food options that are within the allocated budget. After these steps are
completed then the new menus need to be discussed and produced. From there they can
implement new training protocols based on the new menu so the staff at the dining halls know
how to make these new food items properly. Then the food will be ready to serve in the dining
hall and we will be able to receive feedback from the students and then make changes as needed
based on the feedback. This will be a great step in the right direction for USF and the students.

Problem/Need
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Having a well balanced diet is a very important aspect of life. Throughout college, students are
constantly acquiring new skills and learning new information that will follow them through their
adult life. Having a healthy relationship with food is an important skill for students to learn,
especially in college where a lot of students tend to struggle with food temptations and weight
gain. On the University of South Florida’s campus, there is a need for healthier food options and
are easily available to students at affordable cost. It is important to provide students with these
options so they can get the most out of their meal plans while utilizing USF dining. According to
USF’s Housing and Dining website “From traditional dining halls and sidewalk cafes to fast
food, multiple Starbucks locations, a pizza joint and more, you'll never go hungry at USF.” After
looking into the options that are available, the only places that have variety are unhealthy fast
food places such as Moes, Subway, Papa John’s,Panda Express, and Starbucks.

The cause of this problem is lack of nutritious options and food that caters to different dietary
restrictions at the dining halls on USF campuses. For example, at the Juniper dining hall, the
only lunch/dinner option for a vegan diet is a black bean burger. This is not very nutritious and
the dining hall is severely lacking variety. Also, the price to eat at this dining hall is $11.50. This
price point may be viewed as a bit high for students that aren't able to find many sustainable or
nutritious options at the dining halls. If students are wanting more sustainable foods, they are
often forced to look elsewhere on campus such as Jamba Juice or Panera Bread. This is an issue
because many students are provided with meal plans specifically for the dining halls but end up
paying more to eat elsewhere due to the nutritious options and variety offered at other places.

This bar graph from a study done by the Journal of American College Health shows the weekly
consumption of healthy foods such as vegetables and fruits from a survey of 577 college students
at FGCU. This visualization helps show how college students are not consuming enough healthy
foods and one of the ways that this can be solved is if universities such as USF reduce unhealthy
food options on campus and replace them with healthier food options to encourage students to
eat healthier.

Solution
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The variety of healthy food options at USF dining halls is a problem for many students on
campus. There needs to be certain things implemented to be able to solve this problem. This
includes finding a way to bring more diverse healthy food options to the dining halls. There are
many different ways to solve this current problem. According to the USF Oracle, “I think that
health and wellness is impactful for college students as they’re working hard studying, hanging
out with their friends, exercising, everything.” Having healthy foods available is very beneficial
for students and impacts them in a positive light. Students will be able to overall perform better
which will lead to more overall success for USF students.

The solution that would help would be to find a company who can source and distribute the
healthy food options to the USF campuses. There are many companies that focus on distributing
healthy foods to designated locations on a consistent basis. For USF, there should be a weekly
shipment sent to each campus. Those shipments will be filled with fresh fruits and vegetables, as
well as other healthy options that are not usually carried by USF. According to NYU Nutrition,
“A balanced diet can help students increase energy levels, promote a functioning immune
system, improve their ability to cope with stress, and increase concentration and performance in
school.” A healthy diet for a student can affect almost everything in their life. It is crucial for
students to have the right nutrition, as it will help them perform at the highest level. With all the
benefits that come from healthy eating, we need to focus on bringing those healthy options to
USF. This process of finding the right company and distributor will probably take 6 to 12
months. This will make sure USF finds the company that distributes the highest quality foods
and ingredients at a great bulk price.

This bar graph from a study done by the Journal of American College Health shows the
correlation between healthy eating and increased academic performance from a survey of 577
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college students at FGCU. This data shows that the increased consumption of healthy foods such
as fruit, milk, and salad among college students leads to higher GPAs. Overall, this bar graph
helps show evidence that introducing a wider variety of healthy food options on college
campuses such as USF can help improve the overall academic performance and GPAs of college
students.

Implementation
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According to the USF operating budget for 2020-2021, the current budget for USF Tampa
Dining Services is $20,000,000.

Personnel necessary to make sure that this solution is implemented properly are:

Director of USF Food Services- Make sure that the proposed solution is good, seek approval
from upper-level management, and oversee the implementation of the solution.

Local food vendors- Provide USF with the healthy food options that are necessary to increase the
variety of healthy food options in USF dining halls.

Dining Hall Staff- Make sure that the healthy food options are prepared properly and served to
USF students.

Marketing Director of Food Services-Increase meal plan sales and make sure that USF students
are informed of the changes made to the dining hall menus regarding the implementation of
healthier food options.

USF Dietitians- Make sure that dining hall menus and the food choices are nutritious and healthy
for USF students.

Meal Plan Office Manager-Make sure that meal plans are affordable for USF students so they
can be able to afford meal plans and have better access to healthy food options.

Call to Action
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Implementing a wider variety of healthier food options in dining halls for USF students is
beneficial because it allows students to have more affordable and easier access to meals that are
nutritious. Increasing the healthy food options available at USF will also allow students to
perform better academically, have increased energy levels, and help them be healthier.
According to a study from the University of California, healthy foods are also important in
preventing cardiometabolic disorders later in life and also help students improve mental health
by reducing stress levels. Increasing the variety of healthy food options in USF dining halls will
also help create healthier eating habits that can help prevent them from long-term illnesses such
as heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes. Healthy eating is also
important to help maintain a healthy body mass index (BMI) and helps improve sleep quality
allowing students to be more alert and energized.

Therefore, it is very important for students to help encourage USF to implement healthier food
options in USF dining halls. Some examples of things that students can do to help implement this
solution would be to write a letter to the USF president about the issue and also conduct surveys
and interviews to see how students feel about introducing healthier food options to the USF
dining hall menus. Another thing that students can do is to help start on-campus food programs
such as the Feed-A-Bull Food Pantry through fundraising to help provide a wider variety of
healthy food options to USF students. Also, spreading the word about this issue and the
importance of healthy eating is very important to help raise awareness.

References
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Communications, N. Y. U. W. (n.d.). Nutrition. NYU. Retrieved April 10, 2022, from

https://www.nyu.edu/life/safety-health-wellness/live-well-nyu/priority-areas/
nutrition.htm

Eshaani Arvind, C. O. R. R. E. S. P. O. N. D. E. N. T. (2022, January 31). Opinion: Food at the

hub could be more inclusive. The Oracle. Retrieved April 10, 2022, from
https://www.usforacle.com/2022/01/30/opinion-food-at-the-hub-could-be-more-
inclusive/

Operating budget 2020 | 2021 - University of South Florida. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10,
2022, from https://www.usf.edu/business-finance/resource-management-analysis/
documents/operating-budget-20-21.pdf

McLean-Meinsse, P. E., Harris, E. G., Taylor, S. S., & Gager, J. V. (2013, March 1).

Examining college students' daily consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables. AgEcon
Search. Retrieved April 10, 2022, from https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/158772/

Dhillon, J., Diaz Rios, L. K., Aldaz, K. J., De La Cruz, N., Vu, E., Asad Asghar, S., Kuse,

Q., & Ortiz, R. M. (2019, April 11). We don't have a lot of healthy options: Food
environment perceptions of first-year, minority college students attending a food desert
campus. Nutrients. Retrieved April 10, 2022, from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6520682/

Sogari, G., Velez-Argumedo, C., Gómez, M. I., & Mora, C. (2018, November 23). College

students and eating habits: A study using an ecological model for healthy behavior.
Nutrients. Retrieved April 10, 2022, from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6315356/

https://www.nyu.edu/life/safety-health-wellness/live-well-nyu/priority-areas/
nutrition.html

Samuel, Natasha. “A Student's Guide to Eating Healthy on Campus.” The Oracle, 27 Aug. 2019,
https://www.usforacle.com/2015/08/26/a-students-guide-to-eating-healthy-on-campus/.

The influence of eating habits on the academic performance ... (2020, February 6). Retrieved
April 22, 2022, from
https://www.fgcu.edu/mariebcollege/rehabilitationsciences/files/The_influence_of_eating_habits
_on_the_academic_performance_of_university_students_2020.pdf
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Shine, Miki. “Dining to Put More Focus on Health.” The Oracle, 27 Aug. 2019,
https://www.usforacle.com/2018/02/11/dining-to-put-more-focus-on-health/.

Communications, NYU Web. “Nutrition.” NYU, 2021, https://www.nyu.edu/life/safety-health-

wellness/live-well-nyu/priority-areas/nutrition.html#:~:text=A%20balanced%20diet%20can
%20help,by%20a%20variety%20of%20factors.