Healthier Campus Initiative

Fort Lewis College

2019 Progress Report

Year Committed: 2016

Length of Commitment: 3 years

Select a Progress Report:

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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
April 2019
Reporting Date
June 2019

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

Fort Lewis College offers at least one wellness meal at breakfast, lunch and dinner at its San Juan Dining Hall. Wellness meals are promoted to students, faculty and staff at the point of presentation with signage which includes a photo of the meal, serving sizes, nutrition information and PHA Wellness Meal guidelines.
Implementation Date
April 2019
Reporting Date
June 2019

Commitment Element
Offer only a total number of fried foods that does not exceed the total number of platforms available at breakfast, lunch, and dinner (if served) across all venues.
Progress To Date

Fort Lewis College offers fewer total fried foods than the total number of platforms available across both lunch and dinner at the San Juan Dining Hall.
Implementation Date
April 2019
Reporting Date
June 2019

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

Fort Lewis College offers at least three healthier desserts at the point of presentation that contain no more than 150 calories as served. Healthier desserts are positioned in a specific area of the servery and on the left side in the cooler case to increase visibility and encourage selection.
Implementation Date
April 2019
Reporting Date
June 2019

Commitment Element
Label food and beverage items offered with calories per serving at the point of presentation OR Designate healthier food and beverage options using a healthy icon at the point of presentation.
Progress To Date

Fort Lewis College identifies all food and beverages with calories and additional nutrition information at the point of presentation via digital menu boards at each platform in the San Juan Dining Hall.
Implementation Date
April 2019
Reporting Date
June 2019

Commitment Element
Implement a comprehensive, strategic product placement/merchandizing program/policy within dining venues to encourage healthier food consumption.
Progress To Date

Fort Lewis College has implemented a strategic product placement and merchandising program to promote consumption of healthier options in its San Juan Dining Hall. Strategies include identifying healthy choices at each platform with a prominent healthy icon and providing healthy alternatives first including unflavored milk before flavored and placing vegetables first on both main platform lines. Strategies to increase vegetable consumption also include providing fresh vegetables on vegan bar along with a rotating healthy dip such as hummus, ensuring at least half of its Melting Pot platform toppings are vegetables and offering those vegetables in unlimited quantities.
Implementation Date
April 2019
Reporting Date
June 2019

Commitment Element
Offer a healthier catering menu that only includes foods and beverages that meet healthier food and nutrition guidelines.
Progress To Date

The Fort Lewis College Campus Catering Healthy Menu features a range of healthy options including fruits, vegetables, whole grains and limits fried items. Many of the entree and side items available also meet Sodexo's Mindful nutrition criteria.
Implementation Date
April 2019
Reporting Date
June 2019

Commitment Element
Provide marked walking routes on campus, one of which must be at least two (2) miles in length and have distance markers at regular intervals. A route map is made available to individuals on campus.
Progress To Date

Fort Lewis College provides maps of four campus walking routes, available online and at the Student Life Center. Walking maps provide 2-mile, 1.75-mile, 1.5-mile and 1-mile loop options and are marked every quarter mile.
Implementation Date
April 2019
Reporting Date
June 2019

Commitment Element
Offer, without a user fee, a minimum of one (1) monthly 'how to' physical activity/ movement class that introduces students to new activities.
Progress To Date

Fort Lewis College Recreational Services offers a variety of free "How-To" clinics on numerous topics designed to teach students how to exercise safely and add more variety to their fitness routines. Each one-hour clinic is taught by a campus Fitness Instructor and provides a small group setting for instruction. Clinics include activities such as Yoga for Skiers, Fitness on the Go, Resistance Bands 101, Core Training, TRX, Women on Weights and Kayak Pool Sessions.
Implementation Date
April 2019
Reporting Date
June 2019

Commitment Element
Implement an integrated, comprehensive wellness program for individuals on campus that is provided annually.
Progress To Date

Fort Lewis College has implemented multiple wellness programs on campus to promote healthy lifestyles and behaviors among students, faculty and staff. The Student Wellness Initiatives (SWI) program implements campus-wide educational programming and conducts data collection and analysis on a variety of health and wellness topics. The Wellness Peer Advisory Council (WellPAC), a component of the SWI, is a student-led health and wellness organization aimed at promoting healthy choices among students. WellPAC reaches out to the campus through a humanistic approach, aiming to meet students where they are at with their physical, social, and emotional health. Through educational programs, small groups, outreach efforts and peer consultations, WellPAC works to provide resources for students that will support them to be happy, healthy, and successful students. Another initiative, the Work-Life Wellness Committee is designed to inspire, motivate and validate the well-being and morale of the whole self within the Fort Lewis College community. The committee serves as an advocate and advisory group for work-life policies and programs, including those which support a healthy balance between work and family. Wellness offerings are designed to be inclusive of all members of the campus community and resident assistants are trained on how to use existing resources to create healthy communities.
Implementation Date
April 2019
Reporting Date
June 2019

Commitment Element
Implement a program/policy that identifies students who may be food insecure and provides options on campus.
Progress To Date

The Grub Hub is a student-led food pantry, operating on the Fort Lewis College campus, dedicated to social justice and de-stigmatizing food insecurity. The Grub Hub serves hot meals twice per week and operates a weekly food pantry to distribute recovered and donated food items to students, by students. Between 100-150 students receive hot lunches at each meal and the food pantry distributes 350 to 400 pounds of food each month. Students may also access snacks and family sized food bags in the Native American Center pantry. More than 700 students have received snacks and more than 100 student families have received food bags since the beginning of these programs in 2014 and 2015, respectively.
Implementation Date
April 2019
Reporting Date
June 2019

Commitment Element
Offer a minimum five (5) types of fruits, five (5) types of vegetables and two (2) 100% whole grain products at both lunch and dinner (if served).
Progress To Date

Fort Lewis College offers at least five fruits, five vegetables and two 100% whole grain options at both lunch and dinner.
Implementation Date
April 2019
Reporting Date
June 2019

Commitment Element
Offer tray-less dining in at least seventy-five percent (75%) of dining venues.
Progress To Date

Fort Lewis College implemented tray-less dining in all campus dining venues in 2017.

Partner Statement

In 2019, Fort Lewis College (FLC) fulfilled its Healthier Campus Initiative (HCI) commitment and successfully met the 23 guidelines! In alignment with the HCI mission, FLC launched three initiatives that have improved student access to healthy activities and proper nutrition.

In the Fall of 2018, FLC eliminated student membership fees for Outdoor Pursuits and Intramural Sports. All students are now eligible to checkout outdoor equipment and participate in intramural activities for no additional charge. Eliminating the financial barrier for students has resulted in large increases in participation!

In the Spring of 2019, Campus Dining made significant improvements in the presentation of healthy options at every dining hall meal. Catering has also improved healthy drink options by offering water infused with fruits and vegetables in lieu of sugary drinks at on-campus events.

Exercise is medicine at Fort Lewis College. Exercise and outdoor activities are now being prescribed to FLC students dealing with physical and mental distress. Counseling and Health Center staff members refer students to our Director of Recreational Services, who connects with fitness and outdoor staff members to offer these students individualized experiences.

The fulfillment of HCI commitments inspired FLC to inventory current health and wellness initiatives and cultivate new ideas to improve the student experience. The last three years have been great for our campus community!