As of March 1, the Fresh Nest in the Bowers Center for Sports, Fitness and Well-being will reopen after being closed during the previous fall semester. The Well, also located in the Bowers Center, will be open as well, just as it was in the Fall 2020 semester.
The announcements were first made in an email from Campus News Feb. 22.
“The Fresh Nest was closed during the Fall 2020 semester due to staffing challenges in Dining Services,” Assistant Director of Health Promotion Joni Eisenhauer said.
Eisenhauer also noted how it is “not an easy task” to safely prepare food and provide food for the campus community during a pandemic; therefore Dining Services needed to effectively prioritize the time and availability of their staff.
Throughout the week, the Fresh Nest will include salads and sandwiches on its menu, as well as coffee and tea. Made-to-order smoothies, however, were taken off the menu.
“Both Dining Services and the Bowers Center staff worked together to ensure the Fresh Nest could be open during the semester,” Eisenhauer said. To do so, smoothies were removed from the menu to offer simple options for students to be able to take on the go so as to abide by COVID-19 guidelines regarding social distancing. By doing so, Eisenhauer noted how a menu with to-go items allows the Fresh Nest staff to “…navigate through COVID-19 challenges” and allow for proper reintroduction to the Fresh Nest, versus employees making made-to-order items.
The Fresh Nest’s hours are Monday to Thursday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. It will operate in a “‘grab & go’ format,” though there will be additional tables surrounding the area of the Fresh Nest for people to eat there.
“In addition, we will be opening the Demonstration Kitchen throughout the day to allow students to eat in a socially distant setting,” Eisenhauer said.
As for the Well, they will be providing free over-the-counter medications, menstruation products, first aid supplies, sanitary products, sexual health supplies and more. The Well is open Monday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Friday from noon to 4 p.m.
Last semester, the Well supplied the Office of Community Living with “a few supplies to be provided to students that were in quarantine” and will continue to do so as long as they continue to receive students’ requests from the Office of Community Living. Supplies are then taken to the Office of Community Living and “distributed to the student(s) while maintaining anonymity.”
The Well also stationed the Well on Wheels in Campus Security from March 2020 to August 2020 for individuals living on campus at the time.
In regard to student outreach, Eisenhauer said that there has been a decrease in attendance for their programming as a result of the pandemic. Their programming does however incorporate a virtual option whenever possible to allow remote students to attend the events organized by the Well.
“Being involved in several national higher education associations, this seems to be the current trend and not just at Elizabethtown College,” Eisenhauer said. “We are optimistic our numbers will increase once we have more students living and learning on campus.”
In the meantime, the Student Wellness Advocacy Group is offering health promotion programs and group fitness classes virtually and in-person to engage a wide range of students. The Well, however, is unable to provide supplies to remote students due to privacy issues.
For more information on the Fresh Nest, students should refer to the menu here: https://etown.edu/bowers-center/fresh-nest.aspx. Students interested in learning more about the Well should contact studentwellness@etown.edu.
