As a senior at Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore, I have seen our dining services transition over the past four years toward a more student-oriented menu. As a vegetarian myself, and conscious about eating healthy, well-balanced meals, I have learned to be creative when purchasing meals on campus to suit my dietary preferences. Loyola Dining implements surveys and student forums in order to hear students’ voices about what they desire for meal options at school. There is also a student dining committee that all students are invited to join. I have found that Loyola’s dining services truly try to make accommodations based off of student input and preferences.

Loyola does not have a mandatory meal plan like some colleges, but rather, all items are a la carte (paid for individually). This option can be an advantage for students with special dietary preferences because students are able to pick and choose items from various dining establishments on campus, without feeling restricted to buy from a set location or to use up dining ‘points’ for the day.

Dining options on campus include a number of chain establishments such as Moe’s Southwest Grill, WoW Cafe and Wingery, Boar’s Head Deli, Starbucks, and Red Mango. Other dining locations include Vocelli Pizza, Savor (homestyle cooking), Ikigaii Sushi, Iggy’s Market (offering packaged market and convenience items) and Iggy’s Express (offering homestyle meals), as well as a pasta bar, salad bar, Bagels & Spreads counter, and Simply To Go items. Each dining establishment on campus offers vegetarian options, though finding vegan options may require more creativity. It is possible to dine on campus as a vegan, though, and there is always a possibility to have your voice heard in order to implement further changes to Loyola’s dining options.

Below is a sampling of the vegetarian and vegan options available across Loyola’s campus for each meal of the day.

Breakfast:

• In the morning, Loyola’s dining cafe offers fresh oatmeal with vegan toppings. Some vegetarian breakfast items such as pancakes are also available, though not much on the vegan front.
• Starbucks offers soymilk as a vegan option in drinks. Starbucks’ oatmeal, which is made with water and served with a choice of nuts and/or dried fruit makes for a satisfying vegan breakfast.
• Packaged granola bars and energy bars are also always available for purchase, including ‘Cliff’ bars (most of which are vegan).
• ‘Simply To Go’ fresh cut fruit cups offered daily.
• ‘Naked’ juices (most of which are vegan, besides “Protein Zone” smoothies, which contain Whey, a milk-derived protein).

Lunch & Dinner:

• Loyola’s salad bar offers an extensive selection of vegetarian options, and is priced by weight. Vegan toppings include a variety of fresh greens, raw veggies, tofu, beans, hummus, sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, fresh fruit, pita bread, etc. There are also soups offered daily, usually one of which is vegetarian.
• Savor is a homestyle cooking option that offers a rotating menu. Each day should include vegetarian options such as, Mediterranean Vegetable Pita, Mediterranean Vegetable Burger, Falafel, and Polenta Stuffed Pepper. Roasted vegetables, couscous barley salad, potatoes and Mediterranean salad are some of the veggie sides available.
• Moe’s Southwest Grill serves burritos, burrito bowls, tacos, quesadillas, etc. No matter which Southwestern variety you select, the individual toppings/fillings are up to you, making it easy to customize a vegan meal. An example vegan option would be rice, beans, guacamole, tofu, salsa, lettuce, and tomato served in a bowl. Filling, satisfying, and vegan!
• Ikigaii Sushi – Our sushi bar hand-prepares rolls every day. Vegetable sushi, spring rolls (wrapped in rice paper), and fresh seaweed salad are delicious vegan options.
• Iggy’s offers prepared foods, with a more home-cooked feel. While the menu offerings are always changing, there should consistently be vegetarian options available. I enjoy the roasted, seasoned veggies from Iggy’s. Other vegetarian options may include rice, couscous and barley dishes with veggies, baked beans, chickpea salad, and polenta. Iggy’s is also an on-campus market where packaged items, snacks, and bulk bins are available.
• Boar’s Head Deli offers a variety of vegetable toppings and cheese that create a substantial sandwich or wrap. The cheese can be left off for a vegan sub, though this is not a very substantial meal option.
• Vocelli’s Pizza offers Italian cuisine, with vegetarian options including vegetarian ciabatta, Mediterranean salad, and veggie pizza. Vegan options are limited, aside from pasta with marinara sauce and a Mediterranean salad, without cheese.
• Bagels and Spreads – Bagels are a quick vegan option, though peanut butter and jelly are probably the only vegan spreads available.

Nearby off-campus locations that are vegan/vegetarian friendly do accept the student ‘Evergreen’ cards (from which money is deducted with each purchase). Off-campus dining is a convenient option that allows you to mix up your meals while also getting the opportunity to enjoy the surrounding community. Often, there will be formal dinners on campus for student groups, organizations, or awards ceremonies. For these catered events, students and staff always have a vegetarian and vegan option. Be sure to communicate your dietary preferences, because the catering staff is equipped to meet students’ needs.

While it is not difficult to find vegetarian options at Loyola, I have yet to see extensive vegan options (such as vegan desserts and dairy-alternatives) on campus. As I previously mentioned, Loyola’s Dining Services are accommodating to student feedback, so inquiring and getting your voice heard is important if there is something more that you wish to see on campus.

Carol Adams, author of The Sexual Politics of Meat, came to speak at my college, Towson University. I was asked to set up a booth for The Vegetarian Resource Group at the presentation along with four other health and animal rights organizations. I was excited to be able to table for VRG while enjoying Carol’s presentation.

As the room filled up a slide of images began to play on the screen. They depicted the link between women and animals exploitation in advertisements. Each picture showed ads that are used to encourage and condone the consumption of meat. Carol’s presentation was very raw and powerful. Some of the images were disturbing and some were very revealing. Carol goes on to state that her concept of the “absent referent” separates the meat eater from the animal and the animal from the end product. The “absent referent” refers to the issue of advertisements in popular culture sending messages that animals, like women, are nothing more than a piece of “meat.” Rather it be a piece of meat that you eat or one you look at in a sexual sense, the lines have become blurred and society has become accepting of both the demeaning of women and the mistreatment of animals.

Carol did an excellent job presenting her position on the relationship between women and animals and got the crowd surprisingly interested. She was kind enough to answer questions and mingle with everyone after the presentation.

Some long time vegans visited the VRG booth and I had a lengthy conversation with someone who was interested in resources for vegetarians that had began to eat meat again but wanted to become vegetarian again. She mentioned the cost strains of being a vegetarian in college and I shared with her some tips of how I shop inexpensively and prepare quick meals and healthy snacks to get through a busy day of classes.

As Carol said, her book is older than most of the students she shows this presentation to, revealing how pertinent these topics remain.

For more information on The Sexual Politics of Meat, please visit Carol Adams website: http://www.caroljadams.com/

You can purchase The Sexual Politics of Meat here.

To learn more about eating vegetarian/vegan on a budget, please visit:
http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2006issue2/vj2006issue2mealplans.htm
http://www.vrg.org/blog/2011/11/08/vegetarian-and-vegan-living-in-your-twenties/

When I was a freshman at Dartmouth, only one dining hall had somewhat consistent vegan options; the others had salad and occasional veggie chili. The one small dining hall that proved to be the most vegan-friendly had inconvenient hours, was closed on weekends, and was mainly a lunchtime destination. College students’ schedules are often ridiculously busy and socializing at meal times becomes just as important as the actual food. This is especially true when you are in the process of making friends at a new school. My first year, I was restricted to one dining location where nobody wanted to eat. On Fridays I had to stock up on premade meals only offered one weekday at the one vegan-friendly dining hall, and this meant I had to eat those meals alone in my room lest I felt awkward bringing them into other dining halls. Though I could eat a salad at dinner and be accompanied by friends, it was just not feasible to do everyday. At that time I was dedicated to running, and required plenty of whole grains to keep me feeling satisfied. I was very upset about the dining options and the fact that I, all too often, had to eat alone.

If you are experiencing difficulties obtaining proper vegan foods at your college, the first step is to arrange a meeting with someone in dining services by either walking into their office or sending an email to set up an appointment. According to Eitan Fischer, a vegan and rising senior at Yale, developing personal relationships with individual dining hall managers is crucial. Victor Galli, a recent Penn graduate, also stresses the importance of developing an ongoing relationship with dining services, one characterized by a “spirit of collaboration.” When meeting with your dining services administrator for the first time, be aware that kindness is advantageous, and that it will help you if this individual is on your side. Depending on how veg-friendly your college already is, you may need to define veganism, and suggest the implementation of a labeling system to make vegan options more accessible. Some college dining services have a particular symbol they label each vegan entrée with, others use color-coded serving utensils, and some include entirely vegan dining stations.

Eitan recommends offering to make constructive suggestions for improving the options, and to request meetings with high-up dining hall administrators. You may be up against administrators who are reluctant to change, and who believe vegetarian options will not be well received. If you find your dining hall administrators to be impervious, you will need to cast a wide net. Join forces with your school’s animal rights or vegetarian club; you may even find the environmental club is interested. Eitan suggests gathering petitions, getting the newspaper to cover the issue, and, depending on the way your institution works, getting the student government to pass a resolution in support.

The Penn Vegan Society sought a relationship with dining services through which each could be a resource to the other. According to Victor, this sort of engagement made dinging services more responsive and eager to help. Victor states, “You must discuss the business elements of implementing vegan options in order to get dining services to really listen.” When going into a meeting, it is important to reinforce common objective values: “You want to help the dining service make money by providing more and better plant-based options for students.”

Penn’s Vegan Society provided Penn dining services with market research and product recommendations. To support his hypothesis that omnivores who eat mostly plant-based foods, “consume the overwhelming majority of vegan products on campus,” Victor provided the article, ‘Flexitarians’ Driving Global Move Away from Meat Consumption: Study. By providing his dining services with research-backed evidence, Victor successfully illustrated the growing demand for vegan food. Victor also cited the VRG’s press release, How Many Adults Are Vegan in the U.S.?, to show Penn dining services that there are more self-described vegans than there are vegetarians, and to perhaps point their attention to the benefits of providing a variety of vegan options rather than just vegetarian. Another article presented by Victor, 5 Interesting Facts About Plant-Based Food Choices, based on the VRG’s Sugar, Vegan Deli Slices, Whole Grains, Meat Genes – What Will Vegans and Vegetarians Eat? VRG Asks in a New National Harris Poll, showcased rising trends among those eating vegan dishes, including the desire to eat more leafy greens as opposed to processed vegan meats, as well as the desire to have more dishes based on grains and beans. When Victor meets with Penn’s dining services, he provides a printed “Market Research Summary,” highlighting the main points of the research he is drawing from.

To access marketing information, see:
http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/market.htm
http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/market.htm#market
http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/faq.htm#poll

Due to the work done by Penn’s Vegan Society, Penn is in the process of offering a vegan station in each of its dining halls.

In convincing Dartmouth dining services to provide better options, I found it effective to point out the implications the lack of options had on my Dartmouth experience, and how I felt as if my nutritional requirements were not being properly met. To my surprise, those working in Dartmouth’s dining services were exceedingly kind and dedicated to doing whatever possible to bring about greater student satisfaction. Luckily for me, Dartmouth had major dining renovations – including an entirely vegetarian station, “The Herbivore,” – already in the works. Like Victor, I provided product and recipe recommendations packaged in a 15-page vegan food guide. When “The Herbivore” was first launched, it was far from perfect, and would oftentimes fail to offer vegan entreés. With my continued involvement with the dining services administrators, the options have improved significantly: textured vegetable protein Sloppy Joes, vegan ribs, vegetable Pad Thai, and textured vegetable protein tacos, to name a few. Another recent improvement has been the permanent addition of faux chicken and beef at the sandwich bar. The vegan dining options, according to dining services workers, become so popular that they had to increase supply orders to satisfy growing demands.

DAWG, the Dartmouth Animal Welfare Group, hosted a conversation dinner with the assistant director of Dartmouth’s dining services. This was an extremely productive event: multiple perspectives were able to be voiced, the dining director met a good number of vegetarians interested in dining improvements, and we became better educated about the constraints faced by dining services to provide certain options. Though Dartmouth’s vegan options have improved tremendously throughout my three years as an undergraduate, I plan to continue my involvement with its progression during my senior year, as there are definite improvements that have still not been made. Advocating for better vegan options is a process, one that hinges on continuous, appropriately-placed efforts.

Vegan options in college are more important than you might think. As a freshman, I tried to make do with the meager offerings, but soon realized Dartmouth’s lack of vegan options was more detrimental than I initially understood. There were students I met who used to be vegan, or wanted to be, but felt as if they could not do it healthily at Dartmouth. Dartmouth’s lack of options conveyed veganism as unsatisfying and difficult to maintain. Furthermore, college gives way to freedom and exploration; many find it a convenient time to experiment with vegetarianism. Ensuring great tasting vegan options are available at college is more important than satisfying the requirements of current vegans; it is about offering appealing foods that will invite others to enjoy more sustainable, compassionate food choices, and hopefully, offering the kinds of foods that cast an accurate representation of veganism, so those interested will feel more inclined to adopt the diet. The process of getting your dining hall to implement proper vegan options may seem daunting, but with persistence, you will savor the results. The fruits of your efforts will do more than please your own taste buds. You will help guarantee that other vegans – as well as future vegans – enjoy their time at college; you will increase the amount of plant-based foods consumed in your dining hall; and you will be opening the door, extending a warm welcome to the many potential vegetarians accepted to your college, year after year.

From its start when she was in third grade, Gretchen’s vegetarianism was a struggle for her family to understand. “Being from Iowa,” says
Gretchen, “the diet is typically a ‘meat and potatoes’ type of meal.” Gretchen began to question this lifestyle that was so inherent to her
family from a young age. To her, the idea of eating something that was once alive and breathing seemed “like the most selfish thing,” and she
decided to stop eating meat.

In her first year of high school, Gretchen began working at Fresh Café and Market, a restaurant serving fresh and seasonal smoothies and sandwiches. Before Gretchen was employed at Fresh Café and Market, it did serve fish and chicken, but since she joined their staff, she encouraged and assisted them to stop selling any meat or fish. This job has demonstrated and increased Gretchen’s awareness about vegetarian issues, knowledge about vegetarian health, and dedication to the vegetarian lifestyle. Through her job, she talks to both vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike about the health benefits of vegetarianism and the reasons for living a meat-free life.

Gretchen also has devoted over 200 hours to community service during high school. She worked on the student board of Meals from the Heartland, a group that provides vegetarian meals to hungry people in Des Moines, as well as Haiti and some parts of Africa and the United States. This year, Gretchen helped organize fundraisers and made over $1,500 for the organization. She also has given her time at a local animal shelter, as a dog volunteer, making sure the dogs stay happy and get an adequate amount of attention each day.

Gretchen hopes to continue influencing people to lead healthier vegetarian lifestyles throughout college and plans to study dietetics. “I know I can make a huge difference in the lives of people by promoting natural and vegetarian living,” says Gretchen.

For more information about The Vegetarian Resource Group scholarships, see http://www.vrg.org/student/scholar.htm

To donate towards future scholarships, please visit http://www.vrg.org/donate

By Hillary Blunt, VRG Intern

VRG also offers The Eleanor Wolff Scholarship which is a paid summer internship ($2,500 plus $1,000 toward housing) at VRG’s Baltimore office. Here’s what our interns Kristen and Rachel had to say about their internships at VRG last summer: http://www.vrg.org/blog/2009/08/21/notes-from-two-vrg-summer-interns/

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Would you like to sponsor a scholarship or internship? This provides a tremendous opportunity for students who are doing some great work promoting vegetarianism.
Click here to read about past scholarship winners (right-hand side).
Click here to read about past Eleanor Wolff Scholarship winners.