PROPOSAL TO IMPLEMENT A HEALTHIER CHOICE IN STUDENT
NUTRITION FOR UO STUDENT COMMUNITY
Presented by:
PayDay: Glenn Gillas, Pak-Ho Lai, Daisy Gonzalez,
Tenzing Atsentsang, and Alex MacLean.
To: Ron Bramhall,
Director, Associated Students of the University of Oregon
November 12th, 2012
________________________________________________________________________
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Problem Description
Nutrition is poor among college students in America, and University of Oregon students are no
exception to this. Due to convenience and affordability of unhealthy foods, students are making
unwise food choices which lead to nutrition-related health problems and poor student
performance.
Opportunity
We propose a new way to promote a healthier student lifestyle through convenience and
affordability. Many benefits come from good nutrition, such as improved academic performance,
increased energy levels, and less sick days. We see an opportunity to bring healthy alternatives to
all students on campus.
Solution
The creation of a University of Oregon Farmers Market will benefit students, staff and the
Eugene community in the following ways:
Convenience: The location of the farmers market on the Memorial Quad will be a prime
location due to the minimal pedestrian traffic congestion in the middle of the quad, and
the large volume of students who pass around the quad daily (Appendix I). Having the
farmers market on campus will eliminate the need for students and staff to travel to a
grocery store, making it easier to access healthy food for those that don’t have adequate
transportation.
Health Benefits: With the opportunity to easily access healthy produce students will be
encouraged to improve their personal diets. The farmers market will help re-introduce
nutritious local food into student’s diets, helping create lifelong healthy habits. Healthy
food will decrease student’s number of days out of school due to illness, and will help to
increase overall student academic performance.
Local Farmers and UO Reputation: A campus farmers market will create a unique
opportunity for farmers who wish to have exclusive distribution of their goods to a large
concentration of potential consumers. As a result, local farmers throughout the Eugene
area will benefit and profit. Furthermore, having a farmers market on campus will
preserve and reinforce our image of sustainability. All produce will be grown exclusively
within the local area, which limits the environmental impact from transportation and food
contamination caused by middlemen.
Cost Analysis
There will be a $4,854.00 starting cost associated with the farmers market for the first year.
Farmers will be required to pay a yearly membership fee as well as a weekly fee for participating
in the market. We expect the costs for the first year to be greater than in future years. The
revenue from fees should cover most of the cost. We also propose to hand the managing position
off to The UO Urban Farm in the coming years.
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As the Associated Students of the University of Oregon (ASUO), the purpose of your existence
is to provide for a more social and diverse cultural environment, thus improving the UO student
education and physical development. With the confirmation of the recent “over-realized” fund
that the ASUO possesses, we propose a new way to promote a healthier lifestyle to students on
campus through diversifying their choices in their daily nutritional intake.
SITUATION ANALYSIS
It is estimated today that there are more than 18 million students between the ages of 18 and 24
currently enrolled in higher educational institutions in the U.S. Of the 18 million, 39 percent of
these students in the U.S. are considered overweight or obese (Issam, 2010). College students
today are young, educated, fun, hip and fat. Generally, college is a large transition for most
young adults, leaping into a new life filled with new challenges, new opportunities and newfound
freedom.
This shift from living at home with caring parents and healthy home-cooked meals to living
independently in college with unhealthy microwavable dinners is just one reason contributing to
the rising obesity rate in young Americans. Today’s college students are not the poster children
for the youthful, appealing, and energetic attributes that we expect, but an example of America's
ever expanding waistline (Issam, 2010). One of the leading factors for poor nutrition amongst
college students is the inconvenience of healthy foods.
A student’s healthy eating habits should not end because of college. However, with the
convenience and affordability of fast food restaurants and microwavable meals, most students
fall under the influence of unhealthy food choices. From our online survey, we determined that
students today strive to be healthier, but lack the motivation to do so because of the
inconvenience of healthy food choices. By not having easy access to healthy nutrition, students
aren't only giving up the necessities of a balanced diet; they are giving up ample amounts of
benefits along with it. Some of these benefits include: increased academic performance, reduced
chance of getting sick, and increased energy levels (Livestrong, 2011). We have collected
information on 98 students about student nutrition. This information is outlined below:
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88% of students said that convenience was a factor in their eating habits.
78% of students said that cost was a factor in their eating habits.
The average student rates themselves a 6.5 out of 10 on how healthy they think they
are (10 being extremely healthy).
56% of students walk to the grocery store because they have do not have a form of
transportation.
From this information, we have concluded that the convenience of purchasing healthy foods is
the biggest problem for college students. Healthy student nutrition at the University of Oregon is
declining because there is a lack in convenient options for healthy food choices close to campus.
There are currently five grocery stores within a half mile walk from campus: Market of Choice,
Safeway, Albertsons, Sundance Natural Foods and The Kiva. The Market of Choice, which is the
closest to the University of Oregon, takes about 28 minutes of walking to make the 1.7 mile
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round trip. None of the above listed
stores are neither convenient nor
affordable for the majority of college
students here at the University of
Oregon.
Students need a convenient and
affordable option to enhance their
nutrition. With our knowledge of
student eating habits and ASUO’s
ability to organize events within the
community, we can positively impact
this UO community through providing
healthier and more convenient choices in daily nutrition for our students.
The current eating habits of a UO student do not reflect the young and active lifestyle of a
college student. From our online survey we have determined that 7 out of 10 students at the UO
say that they eat an unhealthy microwavable meal everyday of the week. We want to find a
solution that encourages students to have better eating habits. Implementing a way to
conveniently bring healthy food to UO students will create a more positive health image to the
UO culture. This change in culture will influence better student decisions.
Nationwide Trend
Farmers markets on campuses have become a nationwide trend. The following Universities have
a yearly farmers market on campus:
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University of Arizona
Brown University
UC San Diego
Duke University
University of Southern California
Harvard University
Portland State University
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University of Maine
Stanford University
University of South Carolina
Kapiolani Community College
(Hawaii)
Oklahoma State University
Each college farmers market actively finds their own ways to attract as many customers as
possible. For example, Harvard University not only sells organic food products, but they also
offer chef demonstrations and lessons in order to teach students, staff and community members
how to cook with uncommon ingredients. At Kapiolani Community College in Hawaii, the
Kapiolani farmers market has become the must-do activity for local consumers as well as
travelers visiting because of the traditional local artisan goods, tropical jams, macadamia nut
pesto pizza, and Akamai oatcakes. Because of its diverse spread, it has been rated as the most
impressive college farmers market in America (MNN, 2012). More importantly, every college’s
farmers market shares the common vision of college students becoming healthier through eating
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healthy and making healthier choices.
Success story
The farmers market at the University of South Carolina campus has had great success. The
university implemented the weekly farmers market in the beginning of June 2010 and ran till
August 3rd in its first year. The farmers market at the university has earned nationwide
recognition and has become the leading university in assessing the importance of promoting
healthy living on campus. According to the University of South Carolina website, “Beyond
healthy living, the market has reinforced that buying local benefits the community economically
and environmentally. It’s good for people to have a closer connection to local food sources”
(Harring, 2010). Within two months, due to the competitive price for local foods, thousands of
students were encouraged and attracted to the new on-campus market. More importantly, it
accommodated healthy foods as part of students’ daily dietary habits.
OBJECTIVE
A weekly farmers market at the UO campus will provide the following objectives:
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Make produce shopping convenient and easy for students.
Establish a healthy culture on campus by providing students with accessible
nutritional foods while improving dietary habits.
Provide a convenient way for students to establish healthy lifelong eating habits.
Support local farmers by integrating them into our campus.
Involve the UO Urban Farm by providing them the opportunity to profit from their
work.
SOLUTION
There are many fast food restaurants and convenience stores, but few supermarkets, within
walking distance from the University of Oregon campus. These unhealthy fast food restaurants
and convenience stores include Dairy Queen, McDonalds, Qdoba Mexican Grill, Wendy's and
Seven-Eleven. Many University of Oregon students would rather eat at fast food restaurants
instead of buying healthy foods from supermarkets because the fast food and mini-marts are
more convenient (PayDay, 2012). We propose that the ASUO support and fund an on-campus
farmer’s market to cater to university students, staff, faculty, and the Eugene community. The
market will provide healthier food choices with the addition of convenience. This market will
stimulate the local Eugene economy and also promote a healthier population and environment.
While still being on campus, students and staff at the university can quickly and conveniently
purchase healthy foods after classes, and save themselves time and money while enhancing their
quality of life.
Location
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The weekly farmer’s market will take place in the University of Oregon’s Memorial Quad
(Appendix I). We decided this is the best location because it offers the following benefits:
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Easily accessible to students, staff, and community members
Not a traffic hazard for students going to class
Accessibility from Kincaid Street for easy loading and unloading of farmers
Has minimal costs
The Memorial Quad has an outstanding stream of students, faculty and visitors walking
by during the busiest hours of 10am to 2pm. The quad has a big enough area to support a
reasonable sized market. The booths will be on the grass area facing the pedestrian sidewalks.
The sidewalks will become the medium where students, staff and community members can get
around to the different booths. Unlike the serious traffic during the bi-annual street fair, the
Memorial Quad will prevent traffic congestion while UO students are going to classes or
shopping in the market.
Time
The farmers market will be held Tuesdays on a weekly basis. A once a week market will provide
students the opportunity to conveniently buy a week’s worth of fresh produce. We are confident
that the farmers market will be very successful if the majority of students conveniently come
across it. With student traffic in front of the Oregon Memorial Quad being prominent between
the hours of 10am and 2pm, the farmers market will be most effective during these hours. We
have talked with Chris Longest who is the site manager of Lane County Farmers Market and
decided that Tuesday is the best day as to not conflict with the other large farmers markets in the
region.
Regulation and Policy
The University of Oregon requires a contract for any non-school vendor on the campus. The
Lane County Farmers Market will have to sign with the University of Oregon’s Purchasing and
Contracting Services to become a vendor (University of Oregon, 2012). If any contracts require
funds, we propose that the ASUO cover these costs.
The University of Oregon will provide the quad for the location of the market. The vendors
themselves will be providing their own equipment such as canopies and tables. The setup and
takedown of the markets we will be assisted by two to three volunteers from the ASUO.
Students
The farmers market on campus will provide a very convenient location for students to buy
produce, cheese, dried fruit and other healthy foods. This weekly event will be available for
students who previously may have had difficulty getting to a grocery store. It will also eliminate
the travel time of making a grocery trip. Students will be presented with the favorable prices that
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local farmers offer. For those students that normally do not eat healthy, having a convenient,
localized market will attract students to eat healthier as well as being cost effective.
UO Urban Farm students will also have the opportunity to profit from the UO farmers market.
With their goal to be self-sufficient on a community level and to eat locally, they will have the
opportunity to sell their personally grown produce on campus. This will also inform students
about the UO Urban Farm program, and evoke interest in the class.
Staff and Community
University of Oregon students are not the only beneficiaries from implementation of this
farmer’s market. The staff and community along with the University of Oregon’s identity of a
healthier campus life will also benefit. The accessibility and convenience of the market will
provide staff and community more opportunities to eat healthy. Buying locally manifests
University of Oregon’s goal to be more eco-friendly; instead of students buying produce that
possibly had been transported long distances in fossil-fueled vehicles, they can purchase local,
potentially organic produce, reducing the carbon footprint of the university.
TECHNICAL PLAN
To successfully incorporate a farmers market at the UO campus, we need to accomplish the
following tasks according to this timeline:
Tasks
Winter
Get in contact with Chris Longest
Gather a group of interested people through the Lane County Farmers
Market
Determine specific date of farmers market
Receive permission for use of the Memorial Quad
Propose the involvement of the UO Urban Farms
Check into legalities with Eugene Chamber of Commerce
Sign University of Oregon’s Purchasing and Contracting Services
Begin advertising on campus and nearby areas
Spring
Begin publicity to consumers (continue through September)
Finalize market management and organization
Grand opening the farmers’ market
Summer
Promote the farmers’ market (peak season)
Sponsor a special activity
Solicit and evaluate suggestions from farmers and consumers
Fall
Organize and solidify the farmer-consumer association
Extend the marketing season with fall crops
Winter-Spring
Timeline
Dec. 12
Jan. 8-12
Jan. 14
Jan. 21
Feb. 4
Feb. 7
Feb. 15
Ongoing
Mar. 1
Mar. 18-22
Apr. 2
May-Aug.
Jun 3
June-Sept.
Sep. 9
Sep. 16
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Close market for holiday break
Evaluate previous year’s performance
Revise budget
Contact new farmers for additional vendors
Promotion and Preparation for the new market season
Dec. 9
Dec. 16
Dec. 16
Ongoing
Ongoing
MANAGEMENT PLAN
COST ANALYSIS
Manager ($50 per week x 38 weeks)
Set Up Costs (Canopy and table for information booth, paper, pens exc.)
Insurance
Marketing
Flyers (500)
Posters (60)
Banners (2)
Brochures (500)
Newspaper Advertisements
Oregon Daily Emerald (5 day advertisement)
Register Guard ($34.63 per month x 8 months)
Miscellaneous
Total
$ 1,900.00
$ 760.00
$ 300.00
$ 39.00
$ 210.00
$ 154.00
$ 40.00
$ 674.00
$ 277.00
$ 500.00
$ 4,854.00
Funding Method
The ASUO has limited funds
for campus events. The
University of Oregon farmers
market will be implemented
in a cost-minimizing manner.
Farmers will be charged $15
for each booth per week to
participate in the farmers
market. We expect 6-10
farmers to participate in the
famers market which will
bring in revenue of $90-$150
per week for booth charges.
To sustain the cost of the farmers market for the following years, we will initiate a yearly
membership fee. The revenue that we gain from leasing booths to farmers, and their
membership fees will help pay for various costs associated with marketing and managing the
farmers market. We will also require participants in the market to set up their own booths which
will minimize setup costs. We ask that the ASUO contribute the initial $4854.00 to help to pay
for the starting costs to successfully operate the farmers market.
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CONCLUSION
From our student survey responses we were able to conclude that students want food that is
convenient and affordable. We also discovered through our survey that students shop at the
closest grocery store, regardless of cost. The University of Oregon does not have any affordable
grocery stores in close proximity, so students are left with more expensive places to purchase
their groceries, including their fresh produce. We propose to the UO and the ASUO the idea of
creating a place where nutritious food can easily accessed by all of the university and community
while still being affordable. The creation of the University of Oregon's farmers market will be
the best solution to provide students access to affordable, convenient, and healthy food on
campus. It will generate a healthy culture on campus to further improve students’ eating
decisions. The adjustment of students living on their own for the first time, or to return to living
on their own at the beginning of the school year, can be difficult for students. Eating healthy is
not the first thing that students think about. With a weekly farmers market, students will be able
to remember all those times that their mothers told them to eat their vegetables, which they then
could pick up on their way to and from class.
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Map of the University of Oregon and the proposed farmers market location.
Proposed
area for
Farmers
Market
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