Students who frequent the Campus Recreation Center might be surprised to find a new addition in the building this fall. Plans are currently under way to make the Rec a future home to a fully-functioning juice bar.

The idea to construct the refreshment site was due in part to university fitness centers across the state beginning to offer healthy refreshments to their patrons, said Jeff Daurer, a staff member for the Division of Finance and Facilities and an individual directly involved with the project.

“NIU feels it is important to offer the same level of service that other institutions do,” he said. “The Rec center is an amazing facility and this is just one more thing that will help make it even better.”

In addition to the benefit of keeping in tune with current health trends, another benefit is the university-funded juice bar will be located in the lobby of the Rec in front of the NIU One card-swipe counter.

“The fact that the juice bar will be located in front of the swipe-counter makes it more accessible to students who may not necessarily be going to the Rec to work out,” Daurer said.

Its location also ensures that any individual, not only current card-carrying NIU students, will have access to it.

“It will be open to everyone,” he said.

Although exact menus for the juice bar have yet to be drawn out, it will most likely serve simple foods such as soups, prepared salads with low-fat dressings and energy bars, in addition to an assortment of healthy beverages.

The Holmes Student Center is predicted to be in charge of handling the food, and students will most likely be hired to help run it, Daurer said.

“It’s a good service to the students,” Daurer said. “It may or may not make money, but it will most definitely benefit NIU students, which is what’s important.”

John Sweeney, the director of the Rec, also believes the juice bar is a positive addition.

“The university is trying to put food sites at locations where there is a heavy population,” Sweeny said, “and the juice bar will help to better serve the students and provide more services for them.”

Shawnte Jones, a current employee at the Rec, said she believes the future juice bar will benefit a wider range of people.

“It gives people options other than to just use the vending machines,” she said.