Butler University recently added dietician Brooke Pearson to its staff.

Pearson has already organized presentations about health, talked with Aramark managers and plans to work with student organizations, including Peers Advocating Wellness for Students.

Members of the Butler community, with Aramark’s help, should build off these opportunities and continue taking steps toward healthier lifestyles.

Along with her group seminars, Pearson is also offering one-on-one consultations.

A campus dish app has been launched, allowing students to see their meals’ caloric intake at the dining halls.

Students have no reason to remain uninformed.

There are so many ways to monitor their health.

All this new information should push the community to adopt higher dietary and health expectations, which will lead to further change.

While it is helpful to have the campus dish app, each entrée’s nutritional facts should be displayed on a sign like last year.

This call for transparency also spills over into other areas.

Pearson and Aramark have been conversing about health issues and collaborating on ways to make students aware of them.

These discussions should be shared with the Butler community so we know what happens in campus kitchens.

By being transparent about these discussions, students can know what changes might be coming for the dining halls.

Aramark should also release information about its products and methods, including the origin of its ingredients, the freshness of its food and the chemicals and additives that may be used during the cooking process.

This way, the Butler community can make the healthiest, most informed choice possible when eating at the dining halls.

But Aramark is not the only part of the community that should progress in promoting wellness.

Students also need to take responsibility for their actions and make healthier decisions.

From intramurals to the Health and Recreation Complex to the new dietican’s advice, Butler has laid the groundwork for students to lead active lifestyles.

With all these resources at their fingertips, students need to utilize the means they have around them.

Adding a little time into their schedule to exercise and using common sense when putting together meals are actions students can easily take.

Let’s be honest: students don’t need a dietician to tell them that a slice of pizza, fries and an ice cream cone don’t qualify as a healthy meal.

While Butler has definitely taken a step in the right direction, the community still has not achieved complete wellness.

Pearson’s presence should encourage the Butler community to become more independent in its health decisions.

But ultimately, whether or not campus ends up pursuing wellness goals more persistently depends on how students and Aramark capitalize on the opportunities granted to them.