When I first heard the rumor that the popular dirty soda company, Swig, was coming to Elizabethtown College, I immediately thought it was a joke. But, according to Dining Services, it might actually happen.
With the growing popularity of the show “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” after stars Whitney Leavitt and Jenn Afflack appeared on Dancing with the Stars, dirty sodas, which were more of a niche trend in the West, have been becoming increasingly popular, especially on social media. And now, it might just be making its way to our small campus in Pennsylvania.
According to an announcement from Dining Services, a Swig location is expected to arrive on campus in the upcoming fall semester. Students will have the option to use meal swipes on their menu of specialty dirty sodas, refreshers and sweet treats. For those of us with unlimited meal swipes, that basically translates to unlimited opportunities to try the many options Swig has to offer.
I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole of TikTok videos of clips of drink orders from the show, so I already have a mental list of what I’d want to try. One that stands out is the “Berry Bad Doctor,” a dirty soda made up of Dr. Pepper, raspberry purée and coconut cream.
Other students seem just as ready to try out this new addition to campus. A student who chose to remain anonymous, a first-year occupational therapy major, shared her excitement about having something new on campus and her love of dirty sodas.
“I’m super excited about it, and it’s a great way to get more creative with the sodas we drink,” the student said.
Students like me are planning to make Swig a go-to stop to fix their late-night sweet tooth. Swig could easily become a new staple on campus, just like late-night stops at Jay’s Nest when studying.
There are still some unanswered questions yet to be answered. Where exactly would a Swig be located on campus? Would meal swipes fully cover the cost of the many drinks and sweet treat options? And how will this affect foot traffic in other on-campus dining options like the Blue Bean, Jay’s Nest, Marketplace or Fresh Nest? I personally wonder if a new, trendy option might pull the attention and foot traffic away from the places students currently rely on.
One student Dining Services employee points out that the impact might be noticeable among underclassmen, who typically have more meal swipes to use.
“I think this will affect freshmen and sophomores more [as they typically have more meal swipes] to blow,” they said.
I don’t think the appeal will be limited by class year. Just like when Starbucks has new seasonal beverages, I can already see the line of people waiting to try these new drink options.
The idea of a Swig on campus has people talking. On a college campus, life can start to feel repetitive, especially when we have our routines, schedules and eating patterns; something new, like Swig, helps shake things up and bring some excitement to students.
