Creating Healthier Places

Rochester Institute of Technology

2018 Progress Report

Year Committed: 2015
Length of Commitment: 3 years
Select a Progress Report:

Committed to meet 23 guidelines—developed by PHA in collaboration with some of the nation’s leading nutrition, physical activity and campus wellness experts—around nutrition, physical activity, and programming on campus.

Verified Results

  • Implementation Date

    September 2018

    Reporting Date

    November 2018

    Commitment Element

    Offer on the menu a minimum of one (1) wellness meal at each breakfast, lunch and dinner meal (if served).

    Progress To Date

    Rochester Institute of Technology offers at least one wellness meal at breakfast, lunch and dinner at the Gracie's, The Commons, Brick City Cafe, Ritz Sports Zone and the Crossroads. Wellness meals are identified with nutrition information on the daily menu online.

  • Implementation Date

    September 2018

    Reporting Date

    November 2018

    Commitment Element

    Offer and identify as healthier at point of presentation at least three (3) desserts at both lunch and dinner that have no more than 150 calories as served

    Progress To Date

    Rochester Institute of Technology offers at least nine desserts that have no more than 150 calories as served at its Brick City Cafe, Ritz Sports Zone, Gracie's, The Commons and Cafe & Market at Crossroads dining venues. Healthier desserts are labeled on the wellness menu daily.

  • Implementation Date

    September 2017

    Reporting Date

    November 2018

    Commitment Element

    Label food and beverage items offered with calories per serving at the point of presentation.

    Progress To Date

    Rochester Institute of Technology provides signage containing a QR code at all food service platforms and instructs customers to use the code to find ingredient and nutrition info for all items on the NetNutrition system. NetNutrition provides a full nutrition facts panel for each food item and also identifies food allergens using an icon system.

  • Implementation Date

    September 2018

    Reporting Date

    November 2018

    Commitment Element

    Offer a plant-based food option at every platform serving meat.

    Progress To Date

    Rochester Institute of Technology offers a range of plant-based food options, with at least one plant-based entrée available at each platform in its Brick City Cafe, Ritz Sports Zone, Gracie's, The Commons and Café & Market at Crossroads dining venues.

  • Implementation Date

    September 2017

    Reporting Date

    November 2018

    Commitment Element

    Offer a healthier catering menu that only includes foods and beverages that meet healthier food and nutrition guidelines.

    Progress To Date

    Rochester Institute of Technology offers a catering menu that features a range of healthier options including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthier beverages and no fried foods.

Partner Statement

“At the Rochester Institute of Technology, we are committed to supporting the health and well-being of our students. Some exciting new initiatives have evolved during the 2017-2018 academic year, that we are proud to share. Our Wellness Teams, comprised of faculty, staff and students who create programming initiatives on topics most relevant to student needs, continues to expand in meaningful ways. Using the National College Health Assessment-II data as a guide, we have added Wellness Teams that focus on Self Care, Sexual Violence Prevention, and Disease Prevention. These teams will compliment those already in existence, such as the Alcohol and Other Drug Team, Financial Health, Sex and Healthy Relationships, Emotional Health, and more. These teams received a refreshed look and feel this year with new logos, colors, and marketing materials. In addition to our revised Wellness Team model, we also created a new Music discipline and Nutrition discipline as a part of our Wellness Education program. Courses such as Beginner Guitar, and The Truth About FAD Diets will now be offered to students alongside 200+ other Wellness courses offered each semester. RIT continues to offer at least one vegetarian option per dining platform, has expanded our on-campus food share program to incorporate local and sustainable foods, and we have further cultivated our bicycling community by expanding our bike shop operations, increasing the number of bicycle parking spaces and obtaining bronze level accreditation as a Bicycle Friendly University. We are proud of all that we have accomplished through the Partnership for a Healthier America initiative and believe we have positively affected RIT students as a result of our participation in this program.”