For students like Sophia Bravo, deciding what to eat is not easy. Being a vegan, it can often be difficult for her to find food that meets her dietary needs.

But when the freshman television, radio and film major arrived at Syracuse University, she said she was overwhelmed by the number of options available to vegans in campus dining centers.

“I was impressed that Sadler dining hall is complete with an entire vegan deli and a separate vegetarian section,” Bravo said. “My favorite dish is the amazing broccoli cheese risotto.”

This variety of options led People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals to nominate SU, partnered with the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, as a contender in its “Most Vegan-Friendly College and University Contest 2012” competition.

The nationwide competition is entering its seventh year, and SU earned its position in the race because of its highly inventive vegan-friendly cuisine, said Rachel Owen, PETA’s manager of youth campaigns.

The contest includes five rounds of competition, involving 32 large schools and 32 small schools, according to a press release by peta2, PETA’s youth division. From the University of Florida to the University of California-Berkeley, competitors in the large-school lineup hail from every corner of the nation.

After the first round of voting for the contest, which ran from Oct. 8 to Oct. 16, SU advanced to the second round along with 15 other schools. Voting for the second round ends Oct. 23 and contest winners will be announced Nov. 23. Round winners are decided by the number of online votes received, the variety and quality of the school’s vegan foods, the school’s promotion of vegan options and student feedback.

Within the last decade, SU’s Food Services has made serious strides in improving the vegan and vegetarian options available, Jim Ponzi, senior manager of SU Food Services, said in an email.

SU strives to provide meals that satisfy vegan students’ taste buds, while including essential vitamins and proteins required to fulfill nutritional needs, Ponzi said.

In response to the surge in vegan students, SU Food Services added an additional feature to its vegan-friendly meals, titled the Try Me program. The program aims to introduce new foods or spices to vegan food that students may have never tried before, Ponzi said.

“The Try Me program highlights a new spice, vegetable or grain each month,” Ponzi said. “Some items included were pigeon peas, quinoa, buckwheat and adzuki beans.”

Being vegan not only supports environmental awareness, but can also provide wide-ranging health benefits down the road. By eliminating meat, both vegans and vegetarians can be less prone to life-threatening diseases, according to the press release.

This, among many other factors, caused a 50-percent rise in the number of vegans and vegetarians nationwide. As a result, student demand for more vegan-centered eating programs have increased, said Owen.

“We hear from students who are horrified when they learn how inhumanely animals are treated,” she said. “It’s great that universities are listening to these concerns and rising to the occasion.”

The attention to detail and level of genuine care within the vegan-friendly program made SU a strong contender in the competition and a true example of the vegan revolution taking place, Marta Holmberg, peta2 associate director, said in the press release.

“The best way for students to fortify their health, protect the environment and save animals’ lives is by going vegan,” Holmberg said. “Nowhere is it more evident that vegan culture is taking hold than at Syracuse University and SUNY-ESF.”

 

Published on October 18, 2012 at 1:37 am

Contact Annie: apalme05@syr.edu