Anyone who has attended or even toured this college has noticed that there are a lot of stairs. In fact, there is a lot of walking and no on-campus transport during the day.

Unfortunately, this is sometimes the extent to which many students participate in physical exercise, save for two required physical education credits.

To compound this, nearly every on-campus dining area and vending machine are filled with high-calorie and nutrient-lacking foods. This results in an increasingly unhealthy campus where attempting to live a healthy lifestyle requires off-campus support. This is not conducive to teaching young adults proper care for the future.

Exercising as a student is one of the most important things one can do for mental health and overall physical health. Additionally, a healthy lifestyle aids in building the ultimate happy student. Augustana, however, does not support this lifestyle.

From my own sampling, I’ve found that Gus’ Snack Bar and the Westerlin Market are the only two areas where mildly nutritious foods can be found. However, within even these two, protein bars, protein shakes and sugar-free workout drinks are some of, if not the only choices.

In the Snack Bar, one can find Boca burgers and other vegan options, which promote healthy choices. Remaining, however, is The Brew and the CSL itself. Within The Brew they offer mostly carbs. In the fridges behind the baristas, Mountain Dew energy drinks and Starbucks’ Double Shots sit chilling.

These drinks have between 100 to 200 calories and upwards of 50 grams of carbohydrates — mostly sugar! As far as food goes, muffins, bagels and cinnamon rolls sit appetizingly. Sprinkled amongst these are the sandwiches and soups The Brew is known for.

The majority of the caloric contents of these sandwich selections lies in ciabatta bread or tortilla wraps, with few meats and cheeses remaining.

Forget trying to find something balanced for breakfast! The breakfast menu consists entirely of bagels, muffins and cinnamon rolls. There are no eggs and bacon to be seen for the student hustling to class.

In the main dining hall, the American Grill, Bella Luna, The Carvery and Global Fusion offer breaded meats in what appears to be coated in sodium and sugar-rich sauces. Wild Thymes does offer many nutritious elements and Green Creations features the salad bar, which has amazing selections.

Fortunately, upperclassmen have their own kitchens and can often avoid the unhealthy selections in school dining. Myself, I frequent the Snack Bar and Westerlin Market for a Boca burger and protein shake respectively throughout the day.

Unfortunately, the underclassmen are subject to either processed dorm food or the breaded options mentioned. Augustana has to offer natural and nutrient-rich foods if they are to help with student health. At minimum, begin offering eggs and bacon to-go, along with vegan options at The Brew.

In regard to exercise, physical education credits are nonsensical. A student, who wishes to remain anonymous, commented on these classes saying, “it depends on which staff member you get. My strength and conditioning class only required us to show up for 30 minutes – then we could leave.”

The three gyms offered on-campus are of moderate quality. Westerlin has the majority of machines and gym equipment, followed by PepsiCo and then Carver.

Although the Westerlin gym is smaller in size, it offers a good selection. A majority of the frequent users have recommended expanding this gym and adding new machines and equipment.

For example, adding a full latissimus dorsi pull machine, rather than the compound machinery in current existence and a full seated cable row machine would be a good start. This would allow multiple students to exercise at once.

Augustana offers a well-nourished gym, but fails to complete the second part of health: the nutrition of its students. The physical education classes could be re-worked as well, at very minimum offering lessons in proper nutrition and activity to promote self-care.

If we’re to teach young adults about the world as it is, included should be proper care and nutrition of their bodies.