Paul Quinn College, the historically Black educational institution in Dallas, has banned pork from its dining hall menu. Michael J. Sorrell, president of the small liberal arts institution that is affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church, believes that the ban on pork will lead to healthier eating habits for the college’s students.
In a published report, President Sorrell stated, “When you come to college, you come to be educated. We thought we could do more in the area of promoting healthy lifestyle choices and healthy eating habits.” The college claims that eating pork can lead to high blood pressure, cancer, sodium retention, heart problems, and other health issues.
I am fully in favor of leading a healthy life style and observing good eating habits, however I question the action of removing pork from the menu. Is pork the culprit or does it have something to do with how it is prepared ? I believe it is other ingredients and additives that cause the health problems. One can cite similar objections to eating beef or chicken or fish, etc. It depends on the sources, how the animals are fed, and what agents are employed to massively produce those with characteristics that make them bring the most profit in the market place.
I hope that Paul Quinn can acquire some services from a health educator. It would be great if they could add health education to their curriculum.
I applaud the president for his recognition of the need to include illness prevention and health maintenance as one of his school’s priorities and an essential part of education.
As a graduate of PQC, the administrators have made many positive changes over the last few years. This is just one of many. Wonderful!!! I am proud to be a graduate.
Class of 2008