Peta2 representatives have taken to petitioning outside of Boston University dormitories after they said students were complaining about a lack of vegan options in dining halls.
The petition calls for the expansion of vegan and vegetarian options on BU’s campus and has received over 1,000 signatures, according to peta2, the youth outreach branch of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.’
‘Dining services is really not keeping up with the trends that show the demand for vegan and vegetarian options are higher than ever,’ peta2 Senior College Campaigns Coordinator Ryan Huling said.
Huling said peta2 contacted the BU Vegetarian Society after hearing complaints from BU students about campus dining halls’ vegan options.’
‘The demand is there, now it’s the responsibility of the school to meet that demand,’ Huling said.’
‘We’re taught to be kind to animals, promote environmental sustainability and eat healthy meals, but our daily school menu options do not reflect these ideals,’ the petition states.
BUVS Vice President Greta Magerowski said she was unsure if any members of BUVS petitioned with peta2, though they publicized the petition drive within the club.’
‘Essentially, one of the peta2 coordinators contacted us saying that they would be in the area for CollegeFest and wanted to petition at BU on Sept. 30 and 31,’ Magerowski, a College of Arts and Sciences sophomore, said.’ ‘
BUVS President and CAS senior Annabelle Knight said BUVS is currently working on a proposal for more vegan and vegetarian options in dining halls using the petitions from peta2.
‘BU is not terrible when it comes to veg options, but could certainly improve,’ she said in an email. ‘For example, sometimes the vegan station serves dishes that are not vegan nor vegetarian. Those mistakes are absolutely unacceptable.’
Knight said she hopes Dining Services would offer more options on a regular basis, such as vegan desserts and Tofutti vegan cream cheese. These substitutes are easily accessible through Aramark and often times less expensive, she said.
‘Vegans and vegetarians are spending just as much money on meal plans as omnivores, so there is no reason that dining services should not be offering more options,’ she said.’ ‘
The petition was unexpected, BU spokesman Colin Riley said.’
‘That surprises me,’ he said.
Riley said the Student Advisory Board to Dining Services exemplifies BU’s efforts to keep the dining halls in sync with the student body.’ ‘
Dining Services spokesman Scott Rosario said in an email the office has not received the petition. He said previously, peta2 ranked BU as one of the top 10 vegetarian-friendly colleges in the country.’
Rosario said the various options offered to vegetarian and vegan students include, posted online ingredients for every meal, the use of oil instead of butter to cook meals, vegan ice cream stations in Warren Towers and at Fresh Food Co., and veggie burgers and hot dogs available at the grill stations.
‘Every residence hall has a dedicated vegetarian option at every meal,’ Rosario said.’
However, some students said there are not enough options available for vegans and vegetarians.’ ‘
CAS freshman Anna Hall, a vegetarian, said she works at The Towers dining hall and thinks Dining Services could do more with the ingredients available.
‘I think it would be pretty easy, given the ingredients that are already available, to make more vegetarian stuff,’ she said. ‘I don’t think it’s more expensive or difficult.”
Hall, who lives in West Campus, said there is usually only one thing she can eat each night.’
‘People say that West has the most food and the most selection, and there’s a vegan option every day, but it’s like the same thing every day and it gets boring,’ she said.’
CAS sophomore Lauren Allen, a vegetarian, said BU definitely needs more options but has shown improvement.
‘To their credit, the options this year are so much better than last year,’ she said. ‘However there are days, like last night, where the only option is the same old stir-fry with tofu. That’s good and all but there are so many things vegetarians can eat.’
College of Communication junior Tess Wiley said she had some difficulty eating vegetarian last year at Shelton because there was usually one vegetarian dish offered with few other options.’
‘You could either get a veggie burger or peanut butter, but that could get kind of old,’ she said.’
Some students said vegetarians have enough options.’
‘I think the fact they offer any vegan options is pretty impressive compared with most schools,’ CAS sophomore Colin Cole, who is not a vegetarian, said.’ ‘
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I have also had difficulties, as a staff person here, finding fresh vegetarian and vegan options. The labels for soups in various locations no longer list vegan or vegetarian, and I’ve heard conflicting information from the dining staff about what is vegetarian and vegan. If we could have the labels back, that would be great. Also, what cheese is vegetarian? I try to avoid animal rennet in cheese, I don’t eat gelatin, and my reasons are many for these decisions. I don’t know, and can’t always find out from the staff, what is in within my diet and what isn’t. I suppose for a staff person, I can stop using the dining services completely as I’m not held to a dining plan, but I like the convenience. I’ve been unable to locate the complaint box online to indicate my issues, perhaps you have the web site?