The threat is real. Declining enrollments, especially in four-year private colleges, are placing a notable strain on financial health and stability. Some of them are Division 3 schools with fewer than 5,000 undergraduates. With little, if any, state funding, they are pressed to double down on tuition revenue and are turning to recruiting athletes as a strategic solution.
Attracting athletes is one challenge; keeping them is another. The NCAA reported that across college campuses, student-athlete graduation rates hold steady at 90%, and Division 3 schools have the highest percentage of athletes as a percentage of their student bodies – one out of six students. So, what is the key to keeping these athletes at your institution and reducing transfer rates?
One of the keys to student success is a positive student experience, which includes dining. While all students have schedules that can consist of classes that overlap typical mealtimes, student-athletes must also make room for practices, travel, and game days, leaving little time for a hearty, healthy meal. With their varying travel and special dietary needs, it can be a real challenge for student-athletes to stay fueled throughout the week. It takes more than preparing healthy food options and serving them at your cafeteria. Student-athletes need food to be available when they are available and food to be easily accessible. There are a few key things beyond the type of food served that college and university dining programs should consider when serving athletes.
Food On Demand
Student-athletes may not be available to eat when the dining hall is typically open, but they still need to have nutrient-dense, healthy food options to keep them in top physical shape.
Travel Meals
The key is to work with each athletic team’s coach and identify travel dates. Prepackaged, on-the-go meals are essential for keeping student-athletes fueled on their way to a game.
At Hope College, the dining team works with the coaches to make it possible for student-athletes to pack their lunch during breakfast hours when the team travels, allowing them to choose exactly what they want for their meals before a game. Buffets of whole foods enable students to select from options curated by our corporate dietitians, Athletics Director, and onsite Chefs. All selections will fuel athletes for peak performance. Instead of the prepackaged, ho-hum options like a sandwich, chips, and apple, students decide from build-your-own veg-centric bowls, protein packs, and superfoods with complex carbs and lean proteins.
Dawn to Dusk Dining
When student-athletes can’t make it to the dining hall due to practice schedules, your dining program should be flexible enough to open early or stay open a bit later to accommodate athletes. Another option is for the coach or students to pre-order meals to be boxed up and ready for pick-up when they are out of practice or back from the game.
Access Is King
Is your dining hall near the practice fields or the athletic building? If not, you may be making it too difficult for your student-athletes to access healthy food options, leading them to satisfy their cravings with empty-calorie options like fast food. Consider a micro market — where students can pick up a salad, sandwich, or healthy snack pre-made at the dining hall — in the athletic building or in a building near the practice fields. This option can reduce the amount of off-campus junk food that athletes may be prone to purchase out of convenience.
Work Out Fuel
To perform at their peak, athletes need different types of food before and after game day. According to UChicagoMedicine, student-athletes should carb-load and avoid new foods before a game. Carbs and lean meats will provide fuel, while new foods could lead to an upset stomach. After the game, athletes need a protein-packed meal that will help repair muscle. Dining programs can cater to these needs by identifying carbohydrate-rich options such as whole-wheat pasta, rice, and potatoes, along with lean protein options like grilled chicken, fish, or legumes, and educating student-athletes about how the food choices they make affect their performance.
Inclusivity and Team Building
Sports are about team dynamics, so team building is essential to a team’s performance. Dining programs can play a role in team bonding by hosting team dinners before or after games and encouraging other students to support the team like hosting a Homecoming event that encourages the student body to support the football players and program.
Another part of team building is to make sure all members of the team feel important and cared for. Dining Services can play a major part in this when a student has a specific dietary concern. Creative Dining teams will create individualized meal plans for students with specific dietary needs, such as accommodating an athlete with Celiac Disease with snacks and high-energy options that fit within their diet.
As D3 colleges and universities evaluate their sports programs as a means to attract students, they should consider their dining programs as a way to retain them. With the right partnership, a responsive dining program could be the unexpected key to keeping your student transfer rates low and retention high.
