By Danielle MoskowitzSPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

America is addicted to coffee, and Hofstra University endorses and promotes this addiction. U.S. citizens consume more coffee than those in any other country in the world, according to an online survey by the National Coffee Association, with 83 percent of the adult population drinking the stuff.

Hofstra students are the seventh most caffeinated in the country, according to a recent report from Business Insider.
Hofstra University’s campus promotes a heavy coffee culture. Coffee is available at every dining hall, and soda and energy drinks fill vending machines all around campus.

A Red Bull promotional car frequently drives around campus promoting the company’s energy drinks, offering free samples to students who pass by. Some of Hofstra’s own students are even employed by Red Bull. They are responsible for promoting the brand by passing out cans to students around campus. Hofstra should cut back on the amount of Red Bull cars that come to the campus, since the prevalence of these beverages feeds students’ caffeine dependence.

Caffeine has become a necessity to get through a college day. While students can buy coffee anywhere on campus, healthier energizing beverages like smoothies and protein shakes are harder to find. Hofstra should limit the caffeinated drinks sold on its campus and promote healthier drinks like all natural fruit smoothies, water and other juice beverages.

Juice Event in the Student Center always closes earlier than other locations on campus and Red Mango, which sells smoothies, is closed on the weekends. Hofstra should keep these dining stations open later than the coffee places.
Hofstra should also offer healthier beverages at more places around campus like at the gym or at Hofstra USA. Fruit smoothies are offered in the freshmen dorms in the Netherlands; therefore, they should be offered in the upperclassmen dorms, as well. With these minor changes, Hofstra students can gradually become less dependent on caffeine.

Everyday caffeine consumption can produce a physical need for the drug. When students miss out on their morning cup of coffee, they can suffer from sleepiness, headaches and loss of concentration. Without their daily dose, students have the sense of feeling rundown, making the drowsiness that comes with a busy college schedule even stronger.

Hofstra seems to have no problem increasing food prices, so why not increase the cost of a cup of coffee, too? By increasing the prices of these caffeinated beverages around campus, students would have fewer chances to drink caffeine everyday. Students already burn through their meal points too quickly, so the price increase might encourage students to limit how much coffee they buy each week.

Caffeine is an unhealthy addiction of which the campus should be more aware. It is Hofstra’s responsibility to promote healthier options that would help students kick the addiction.

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