Jen Krise is used to eating organic.

After being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease five years ago, Krise, assistant manager of West Dining Commons, looked at what she was eating -- foods loaded with preservatives and chemicals for coloring.

"I started swelling shut," she said. "I literally was like half-dead."

With a diagnosis of Mixed Connective Tissue Disease, Krise decided it was time for a lifestyle change.

"The amount of chemicals the average person consumes is frightening," Krise said.

Last summer, Krise gave West Dining Commons a health kick by converting the former Moxie to Sisu, the only 100-percent organic convenience store and coffee bar on campus.

Krise tried to bring a "straight-edge" feel to the store, a different vibe than other organic food stores she's experienced.

The Penn State community is "a tad behind the times" when it comes to organic eating, Krise said: "In any city, it's just part of life."

Nina Merrill, a senior women's studies and film and media studies major at Colgate University, is attempting to change that. As a freshman at Colgate, Merrill had to take a medical leave. She realized that even though she ate organic food at home, consuming conventionally produced food in school cafeterias was hurting her health.

"My body wasn't used to the pesticides," she said. "Through different eating choices I was able to start feeling better really quickly."

Merrill has seen a "tremendous change" in the amount of organic and local food in Colgate's dining commons since her freshman year, she said. In July 2008, she began a blog titled "Organic on the Green" to promote organic food on college campuses.

Merrill is now hoping to feed the revolution further through "Taste the Change: How to Go Organic on Campus," a free guide published in February and available to download online.

"While it may seem underground, as you lift off the surface you see how strong it is at many schools and how important it is to students," Merrill said. "Layers keep getting pulled up and I see how many students are really interested in this."

But it's easier to see progress at smaller schools, she said.

"When you go to a small school everything is there for the students," she said. "All you do is jump through a few hoops and then it's there because you know everyone so well."

At a school of near 40,000 it might take a little more time and effort. An all-organic dining commons at Penn State is unlikely for at least 10 years, Krise said, citing the people who "want their preservatives" and the higher price for organic food.

Merrill said the student voice is the biggest player in making a change of this sort.

"There's such a power that students have over the whole organic industry," she said.

That voice is missing at Penn State, said Lisa Wandel, associate director of food services.

"There's not a huge push for it or request," Wandel said. "I think students understand that with organic there comes a price. You like to be able to have that choice."

Kaylan Reabold (senior-hotel, restaurant and institutional management) said students in her field are more in tune with the benefits of organic food.

"I think it's getting a lot savvier now to eat organic, so hopefully people will catch onto the buzz," Reabold said. "The only downside as far as college is it's expensive so people aren't really eating as much of it as they'd like to. I think that if it was something that was offered on campus, a lot of people would definitely choose organic."

Reabold is vegan and lives off campus, relying mostly on the organic sections of Wegmans and Giant for food.

"One of the reasons that I even moved off campus is because there's not a lot of things that I could eat," she said. "It's a lot better living in a house where I can make food."

Sisu's products change each week depending on students' likes, Krise said. The overall response has been positive, though some students initially complained about the lack of familiar goods like Hot Pockets, she said, adding that once people try organic versions of their favorite foods, it's not an issue.

"Sampling has been crucial," she said.

While many students are looking to pinch pennies these days, the price of organic options, such as organic cereal, is only 10 to 20 cents more than the food at other on-campus stores, Krise said.

"Anything from an animal -- that's where it gets more expensive," she said. "It does not add up to be that much more, but you have to pick and choose."