RIT has welcomed a unique nutrition program to campus this fall, and it’s not just another lecture. Tiger Nutrition, created by nutritional professional and fifth-year dietetics masters student Madison Degenfelder, is an extracurricular five-in-one program. It focuses on providing understanding and answering questions about general nutrition, along with offering practical steps for improving health and building confidence in health literacy.
Tiger Nutrition is unlike the wellness and general education courses offered at RIT. Partnering with the fitness center, the program provides evidence-based resources designed to include students of all interests, remain authentic and — most importantly — be free and accessible to all. Tiger Nutrition offers five program types — three weekly programs:
Ask an Expert: A nutrition Q&A on Fridays from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., where students can ask certified nutrition professional Madison Degenfelder questions regarding nutrition and get clear answers.
Food For Thought: A wellness workshop on Tuesdays from 3-3:50 p.m. and 4-4:30 p.m., hosting an open discussion where students can come and discuss any nutrition topic of their choice. In addition, Degenfelder said students “gain practical and applicable steps” they can use everyday. “I invite you to show up and stump me.”
Foundations of Food: A College Nutrition 101 class taught on Mondays from 3-3:50 p.m. and on Thursdays from 4 -4:50 p.m.. This class consists of a presentation regarding a relevant nutrition topic to college students.
Breaking down the Buzz: A monthly clinic debunking social media nutrition trends to “decipher fact from fiction” on one Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. each month.
Lastly, Sports Nutrition: A program in partnership with RIT Women Weightlifting, where students can learn how nutrition and exercise go together, and gain information on “how your body uses carbs” and nutrition regimens. This program will also be offered once a month.
These programs are designed to occur weekly and monthly and aim to give students consistent, available access to “fill the nutrition education gap,” says Degenfelder. With peer-to-peer education, each program provides interactive and interpersonal learning with a professional.
In previous years, RIT had similar programs with the Health Center dietetics, utilizing a peer educator. These featured small events around campus, but due to a lack of support and engagement, the programs were discontinued. The RIT Health Center continues to provide nutritional health assistance and nutritional medical therapy. They are there to support students one-on-one and assist with their health needs. “ In terms of the nutrition services that are offered at RIT, the Health Center is a great resource for people who have conditions and diseases where they need medical nutrition advice,” Degenfelder explains.
Unlike previous programs, Tiger Nutrition works directly with the fitness center. “[What] our services with the fitness center is aiming to do is take the burden off the Health Center, because currently the center is receiving students who have medical conditions that they need treated, but also questions from people who just want general advice,” says Degenfelder. This provides students more frequent opportunities to ask questions like “What is fiber?” or “How do I eat healthy on campus?” that don’t need to be answered by a dietician. The Health Center is currently “overburdened by inundation of questions” from students, according to Degenfelder, and Tiger Nutrition provides a comfortable group space to ask those questions. However, the program does not practice Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT), provide medical care or offer one-on-one service, unlike the Health Center.
The supervisor of Tiger Nutrition, Michelle Wilcox, the Associate Director for Fitness and overseer of the campus fitness center and fitness programming, has been working at RIT since 2009. First working in wellness education as a personal trainer and fitness educator, then as the Associate Director for Fitness since 2022, hopes that the program will provide a much needed service to students by giving them tools to understand good nutrition and its importance. “My hope is that we can provide a much-needed service to students who utilize our services in the Wiedman Fitness Center and wellness education by giving them some tools to understand good nutrition and how it is an important part of overall wellness.”
In addition to its partnership with the fitness center, Tiger Nutrition is also working towards collaborating with Wegmans School of Health and Nutrition, Veggie Meter, Meal Cart and clubs and varsity sports offered at RIT. Students can find the course within the RIT Recreation and Wellness fitness program website to enroll and register for the program.
Currently, the program is anticipated to run through the fall and spring of 2026, but not the summer. The organizer’s hope is that it will continue in the future and that students leave the program with a sense of clarity and confidence in their health and nutrition.
