Response to your editorial, “Consider More Vegan Options” (November 11, 2003)

To the Editor of The Daily Free Press:

In response to your editorial, “Consider More Vegan Options” (November 11, 2003), I would like to address several of the issues raised:

The Campus Dining Services staff is very much aware of the vegetarian and vegan trends among today’s students and regularly attempt to meet their dietary and varietal needs. College is often the time that students experiment with vegetarianism. Boston University’s residence hall dining menus feature 47 distinct vegan entrees on a rotating basis. Examples include Basil Barley Provencal in Pepper Boats, Herbed Polenta with Wild Mushrooms, Soy Chick’n Fajitas, and Vegetable Shepherd’s Pie. Two vegan entrees are offered daily as well as other items such as pasta dishes, nuts and seeds, tofu, peanut butter, fruits and vegetables, and breads and cereals. The pasta served contains no animal products (no eggs). Soy ice cream is regularly available and rice milk and soymilk are always available.

At the Towers Hall dining room a Produce Market was newly initiated to serve the needs of vegans and non-vegans alike. Dining Services offers vegan ingredients for noodle bowls with a vegetable-based stock and stir-fry entrees featuring a vegetable-based oil flavored with soy and ginger.

In all dining operations students are encouraged to speak with dining hall managers about their dining experiences, particularly if they have ideas for new menu items they would like to see in the dining rooms. It is the policy of the Dining Services management to replace unpopular dining options with dishes that students favor. In addition to the Student Advisory Group, the Residence Life Food Committee and various focus groups that have been regularly conducted, Dining Services also invites your comment cards, emails, voicemails, and face-to-face conversations to discuss student preferences. Dining Services has always genuinely welcomed student input and continues to do so.

I was concerned to read in the DFP article that students had voiced concerns about the needs of vegans yet felt they had made little headway. This is an issue of communication, not an issue of service deficiency. The University and Campus Dining Services are committed to satisfying students dining preferences and we welcome individual or group meetings with vegans and other students to discuss their dining needs.

Sincerely,

Craig Hill Associate Vice President for Business Affairs