Monday's event was a screening of Chris Taylor's independent documentary "Food Fight," which depicts the rise of industrialized farming in America and its impact on society.

"The movie actually started out as a film about the slow food movement which began in America in southern California as a rebuke to the fast food nation we had become," Taylor said. "However, as time progressed, I realized that idea was going nowhere and began to focus more on how America was adjusting to agribusiness' industrialization and its affect on not only our society at large, but our health and economy, as well."

The film was screened to an audience of about 30 and was met with success.

"Chris Taylor's film 'Food Fight' provided background on the modern American food industry and the revolt against it that many restauranteurs and other food activists have launched over the past 20 years," Honors College professor and Challenge Week organizer Allison Wallace said.

Freshman Jordan Meinzer said, "The movie was really interesting. It made me think about what I had been eating and how I was going to eat in the future. I also like the reference to U.S. Rep. for Arkansas, Marion Berry. He was my representative from home and it was crazy to learn that he had made over $300,000 in government subsidies for farming."

Wednesday's event was a lecture by Marion Nestle, a professor at New York University.

Nestle addressed public confusion about nutrition fostered by food marketers.

"What used to be agriculture–the production of food on behalf of human need–has become instead a means of generating corporate and shareholder profits. That is, the purveyors of food have little or no interest in really 'feeding' us, but plenty of interest in getting us to hand over our dollars. Add to this the state and federal policies in place to ensure that commodity producers will not have to compete in a truly 'free' market and you have a recipe for tremendous social and environmental upheaval," Wallace said.

Freshman Ethan Hodde said Nestle's lecture was informative.

"Things were brought to my attention that I normally wouldn't think about," Hodde said. "For instance, she discussed how cereal companies were charged with false advertising and ended up having to change the design of their boxes. It will definitely make me pay more attention now when I'm walking down the cereal aisle at Wal-Mart."

The end goal of this year's Challenge Week was to introduce students to the alternative to big business farming. A concept termed the "food justice" movement.

"The 'food justice' movement is thus a healthy response to these and other problems, a response largely undertaken on the grassroots level by individuals who want better access to safe, nutritional, fresh foods that derive from a vibrant local economy, which in turn promotes the continued welfare of rural communities, arable land, domestic animals, traditional seed varieties and local wildlife," Wallace said.

Freshman Hunter Coles said,"Challenge week gave me a new perspective on the importance of eating locally and through attending some of the events I better understand how to participate in this movement."

Wallace said, "As a bumper sticker from thirty years ago used to say, 'If you eat, you're involved in agriculture. That said, we can be involved for 'good' or for 'bad,' but our choices are never without consequence of one kind or the other."