Chicken Finger Wednesday not withstanding, USC is apparently pretty healthy. The university was recently ranked as the No. 26 fittest college in the nation by The Active Times. The award is judged based on fitness, health and wellness, and included evaluation of athletic facilities, team sports participation, campus eateries and overall quality of student life.
It’s not hard to see that in general, fitness is important on our campus. Dodging joggers and bikers has become a sport of its own for students trying to make it to class, and finding an open workout machine during Strom’s peak hours is almost always a lost cause.
Healthy eating has become a focus for students on campus, too, as Carolina Dining has continued adding healthier options to campus eateries and has made a point of posting nutrition information for nearly every meal.
Then there are the athletic facilities. Former Athletics Director Eric Hyman spearheaded a $200 million master plan for athletics that has revitalized the area near The Roost and, clearly, boosted the university’s reputation for its focus on athletics.
Fitness is obviously important, especially since our country as a whole isn’t necessarily known for its health. Establishing healthy habits in college can keep us healthy on into adulthood, too, and USC is doing a great job of supporting the development of those habits.