The University is one of 80 schools nominated to compete in peta2’s Most Vegan-Friendly College competition. The University was selected based on the quality and quantity of vegetarian food options offered on campus.
Peta2, the youth outreach division of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, looked at dining halls and food options at colleges around the country, then contacted the colleges to verify the options of the food menus, peta2 spokesperson Shakira Croce said.
Peta2 turned to Facebook, MySpace and the peta2blog to get students’ feedback on the quality of the vegan foods on
their campuses.
The competition is split into three sections with 32 large schools, 32 small schools and 16 Canadian schools. The competition is now open for voting on peta2’s website. The first voting round will close and eliminate schools on Oct. 18. Winners will be announced Nov. 19.
The competition is in its fifth year, and the size has grown from 40 schools competing last year to 80 this year. Croce said college students are asking for more vegetarian foods and that they want their food to be healthy, environmental and animal-friendly.  
University Housing tries to provide vegetarian and vegan options as best as possible.  
“Every meal and every house dining on campus offers a vegetarian option,” Tom Driscoll, director of housing and services said.
Dux Bistro offers an array of vegan and vegetarian food choices, including the Mediterranean veggie wrap, organic avocado and cucumber roll sushi, Genesis organic juices, Odwalla and the Zesty Veggie Flatbread.
University freshman Kelsey McLennan isn’t a vegetarian, but she doesn’t mind that vegetarian, organic food is available
in the dining halls. She said she would be vegetarian if she didn’t like eating chicken so much.
“I don’t have to have meat. But I do enjoy that there are vegetarian options available, such as the delicious teriyaki tofu in the salads at Dux Bistro,” McLennan said.
“There are other options, like the Tofu Chile in Common Grounds, and a salad bar, and the fresh vegetable of the day
at Carson Dining,” McLennan said.
University junior Katrina Dene, a non-vegetarian, said she likes the vegetarian selections on campus and keeps coming back to eat dorm food.
“I love dorm food. Some people get sick of it, but I am not one of them. I think overall there is a good food selection,” Dene said.
Holy Cow Café, an organic, local and family-owned café located in the EMU, is known for its vegetarian and vegan food. Some of these include a soup and salad bar, curries, fresh vegetables and organic smoothies.
“It’s 95 percent vegan, with a couple of items that use dairy products, but for the most part all the spices and ingredients used are organic,” said Amy Leikas, Holy Cow manager of eight years.
Leikas said the café has been in the EMU for 10 years and that about 350 people visit the café
every day.
University sophomore Shelby Beauchamp, a vegetarian, visits Holy Cow on a regular basis.
“I really like the food. I don’t have time to make myself food sometimes, and Holy Cow Café offers food that I like and that I would make at home,” Beauchamp said.
Wesleyan University and McMaster University won the competition in 2009. Oberlin College, University of Puget
Sound, UC Santa Cruz, American University and SUNY Purchase were in the top 10 spots in peta2’s 2009 competition for Most Vegetarian-Friendly College.
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