“It is meant to entice students who usually don’t choose Sargent Choice,” said organizer Sarah Butler about Sargent Choice night. The event, which happened Tuesday, October 4 in dining halls across campus, featured healthy meals chosen by Sargent Choice nutritionists.
The event intended to raise awareness for the Sargent Choice program and its mission to, according to their website, “translate current, evidence-based research into practical food and activity recommendations to help individuals achieve realistic health goals in keeping with their lifestyle demands and preferences.” The night also aimed highlight the Sargent Choice options available in dining halls every day.
This year, the menu featured healthier versions of students’ favorite foods. The extensive list included Asian seared beef buckwheat noodle soup, Margherita pizza, BBQ chicken pizza, beef gyros, sage roasted turkey, vegetable pasta au gratin, chicken quesadillas, grilled chicken caesar salad, shrimp scampi, and chocolate fondue for dessert. I had the black bean veggie burger at Warren Dining Hall. It was tasty and well garnished with fresh vegetables. The smoothies, which were added to the dessert menu at the last minute, topped off the excellent meal.
This year, Sargent Choice also went to the students for input on their menu. Through a Twitter campaign and encouraging feedback on their blog and Facebook page, organizers wanted the students’ preferences to dictate the menu. The Twitter campaign, called #SCNight, allowed students to tweet at Sargent Choice and tell them what they wanted to see in the dining hall on October 4. Butler emphasized the importance of student involvement to the program; when asked about her hopes for future Sargent Choice events, she said she would “leave that to the students.”
The Sargent Choice program was conceived in 2004 as a manner of nutritional counseling for students. In 2005 it began collaboration with other organizations around campus, including Dining Services, “to increase health and wellness opportunities across the Charles River Campus.”
For more information about getting involved with Sargent Choice, go to www.facebook.com/sargentchoice, Twitter.com/SargentChoice, or blogs.bu.edu/sargentchoice; or visit their website at www.bu.edu/nfc.
