Davidson College

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Davidson College offers at least one wellness meal at breakfast, lunch and dinner at its Vail Commons and Davis Café dining venues. Wellness meals are promoted to students, faculty and staff at the point of presentation with signage which includes photos of the meal components, serving sizes and PHA Wellness meal guidelines.

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Davidson College offers at least five fruits, five vegetables and two 100% whole grain options at both lunch and dinner at the Vail Commons and the Davis Café dining venues.

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Davidson College offers well more than three healthier desserts that contain no more than 150 calories as served. The campus was in the process of labeling all healthier desserts with a healthy icon prior to the COVID-19 emergency and has developed a plan to implement when the campus reopens.

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Healthy beverage purchases at Davidson College’s Davis Café and Vail Commons dining facilities account for 51% of total beverage purchases. A 15% credit is also provided for ensuring all dining facilities offer water which is freely available and incentivized with fruit and herb infusions or flavors. Including beverage purchases and the water promotion credit, 66% of total beverage purchases at both facilities are for beverages that meet PHA’s criteria for healthier beverages.

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Davidson College has developed a healthy icon system to identify healthier foods and beverages at the point of presentation, based on PHA’s Wellness Meal Criteria and Criteria for Healthier Foods and Beverages. The campus was unable to fully implement due to COVID-19, but has developed a plan to implement when the campus reopens.

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Davidson College implemented a strategic product placement and merchandising program which includes new healthier service stations such as a vegan station, an all-vegan side of the salad bar, a yogurt bar, a whole fruit display and a grab and go sushi counter. Additional strategies to increase consumption of healthier foods include offering plant-based options first in all buffet lines and daily infused water option from a cycle menu of at least 24 different flavors.

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Davidson College offers a catering menu that far exceeds the required three fruits, three vegetables and two 100% whole grain options. Among the 11 different catering menus, containing more than 500 appetizer, entree, side, dessert and beverage options, the five fried items on the menu account for less than 1% of offerings available.

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Davidson College makes free water available in all dining, recreational and educational facilities through a combination of water fountains, dispensers and bottle filling stations.

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The Davidson College Ecological Preserve offers 5K and 8K cross country trails for jogging, walking and bird watching, as well as large tracts of habitat for ecological studies. A route map is displayed at the start and 4 mile markers are placed along the trail.

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Davidson College provides access to 350 bicycle parking spaces which are available outside most residence halls and in convenient spots throughout the campus for students, staff and faculty. This offers one bicycle parking space for every 8 individuals on campus.

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Davidson College supports a subsidized bicycle purchase program through the non-profit, Trips for Kids Charlotte, and its community bike shop, The Charlotte Re-Cyclery. The Charlotte Re-Cyclery is a resource for bicycle education and empowerment. Trips For Kids Charlotte accepts donated bicycles, including unwanted bikes left on the Davidson College campus at the end of each school year, to support the organization's youth and community programs. The Charlotte Re-Cyclery transforms these bicycles into social programing, hands-on education and new refurbished bicycles for people to use for mobility or recreation. Davidson College has partnered with Trips for Kids Charlotte for almost ten years and the partnership helps provide Davidson students with access to high quality bikes at affordable prices.

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Davidson College maintains a physical education requirement for graduation. Students are required to complete two Lifetime Activity credits and one team sport credit for graduation, however students may participate in physical education classes each week to learn new activities. No previous experience is necessary in any of the classes and the instructors support all levels of physical abilities. Activity class offerings include Cardio Strength, Cardio Dance, Bootcamp, Barre Fusion, Yoga and Spinning.

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Davison College’s Irwin Belk Track, located in Richardson Stadium, offers a 400 meter, eight-lane walking and running track built to international standards. The track is open and available during times when is it not in use by varsity teams. Due to COVID restrictions, only employees and students may access the track, however under normal operations, it is also open for community use.

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Davidson Outdoors offers a range of daily and weekly activities including kayak rolling and indoor bouldering to help students engage in physical activity and prepare for outdoor activities.

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Davidson Outdoors offers students, faculty, and staff a variety of outdoor activities and courses with at least one clinic or trip available each week throughout the academic year. Davidson Outdoor trips are student run and include whitewater kayaking and canoeing, backpacking, rock and mountain climbing and caving.

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Davidson College’s Health Education Office provides an inclusive resource center focused on preventative health and wellness on campus. The Health Education Office provides campus-wide health programs and services and resources related to sexual and gender identity, sexual health and misconduct, alcohol and drug use and abuse, healthy relationships and mental health and self-care. The Health Education Office also supports a group of eight volunteer Student Health Advisors committed to promoting the health and wellness of their peers. Student Health Advisors model healthy behavior and address the specific health education needs of the college population through implementation of campus-wide health programming and support on topics including sexual health, sexuality, healthy relationships, alcohol and drugs, body positivity and self-care.

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Lula Bell's Resource Center provides students with food, professional clothing, winter clothing, textbooks and personal hygiene items. Programming in the Center focuses on life skills for all students on topics ranging from financial literacy to systemic social issues. In the Fall of 2019, Lula Bell’s documented 1756 total visits to access food and groceries and provided 32 Thanksgiving break boxes and dinners.

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Davidson College is committed to maintaining a family-friendly workplace and supporting the health and well-being of employees. Its Support for Nursing Employees policy ensures that all nursing employees will have access to a clean, private lactation space that is shielded from view and free from intrusion of co-workers and others. The College maintains a Lactation Room furnished with a chair, table, lamp, breast pump wipes, changing table and access to refrigeration for breastmilk storage.