WKU dietician Melanie Powell resigned last week for unknown reasons after less than a semester on the job.

When reached over the phone, Powell said she was ignoring requests to comment for this story and declined to say why she is leaving WKU.

Powell has been a registered dietician for a couple months and was the first full-time dietician to be employed at WKU in a while, said Alissa Arnold, coordinator of Student Wellness and Todd Misener, assistant director of Health and Fitness, in a Herald article last month.

Vicky Rosa, executive director of Health of Services, said she was not aware of the reasons for Powell’s resignation.

Ann Mead, vice president for Finance and Administration, recommended the Herald speak to Gary Meszaros, assistant vice president for Auxiliary Services.

Mead said she was unaware of Powell’s resignation and Meszaros deferred to Tim Colley, district manager for ARAMARK and the WKU Restaurant and Catering Group.

Colley did not return calls to the Herald.

Sharon Barron, a part-time faculty member in the Family and Consumer Sciences department, will take over as campus dietician next week.

Barron, who also teaches two Introduction to Nutrition classes, said she applied for the job because she was looking for more work.

“It seemed like a fun thing to do,” she said.

Barron said the dietician job has a flexible schedule. If a student is interested in getting information, they can contact her and set up an appointment.

Although some physicians may recommend that a student see a dietician, Barron said she only sees students at their request.

“The student is ultimately responsible for their health,” she said. “If they aren’t motivated enough to make the appointment, they aren’t motivated enough to make the changes.”

Barron said seeing a dietician for free is not a service that’s available to too many people.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity,” she said.