Featured photo by Megan Goble
Story by Megan Goble
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MTSU is home to students from multiple backgrounds, but do they have food options to reflect that?
Some vegan students are not impressed with the options offered by the university, and many choices aren’t reliable. Vegan students can be limited to food such as rice and French fries.
MTSU Dining is managed by the Aramark corporation. They serve over 275 colleges and universities, according to Aramark’s website. Places like the Farmer’s Market in the Student Union are recommended to vegan students. However, the menu changes daily and doesn’t guarantee a full vegan meal.
Holleen Harrell, a vegan student at MTSU, said she visited the Farmer’s Market a few times when she first started attending.
“Most of the times that I went, there were not any vegan options available,” Harrell said. “I think I just got to a point where I went ahead and started bringing my own food.”
Harrell isn’t the only vegan student to express concern about options on campus.
“I don’t feel like there’s enough variety. In the Student Union, there’s more stuff that caters to everyone who eats meat,” said Ally Brogunier, a vegan student. “There could be more options.”
Another complaint is about inconvenience. College students are busy. Most students can grab food on-the-go, but vegan students don’t have that privilege. Asking if each food ingredient is vegan can be frustrating to some.
“It’s really difficult to blindly order something,” Harrell said. “Even if it’s advertised as plant-based, it can still be cooked with butter or have animal fats in it.”
The term plant-based can be used for a vegan or vegetarian diet. Vegans do not consume any animal-derived ingredients while vegetarians do consume some. If a meal is labeled as plant-based, some vegans are still hesitant.
Some employees may not know that certain meals can be cooked or seasoned with ingredients that are considered non-vegan.
“I wish there was a substantial plant-based section, or even a small station, that had things I don’t have to think about,” said Sarah Nicolette, MTSU Student Health Services’ registered dietitian. “Like if I’m vegan or vegetarian, I could just walk up to it and not have to ask.”
It can depend on the knowledge of the employee most of the time. If employees aren’t aware of what veganism is, or that it’s different from vegetarianism, it could impact students’ eating habits.
Some students are likely to skip eating altogether.
“Only being able to eat on campus, I have seen students who are vegan that are just not eating,” said Nicolette.
Vegan options on campus are reliable, but not sustainable, said Nicolette. There will always be filter options like “green beans and white bread.”
Vegan students and dietitians, like Nicolette, advise students to eat off-campus or bring their own food if the options on campus are becoming boring.
“My biggest recommendation is being connected to a community of fellow vegan people, or people who are eating primarily plant-based,” said Harrell. “And share resources with one another and go out to eat with one another. I think it’s a fun, but also precious way to ensure that everyone is getting their nutrition.”
Aramark was approached for a statement, but they did not respond.
Megan Goble is a contributing writer for MTSU Sidelines.
To contact News Editor Alyssa Williams and Assistant News Editor Zoe Naylor, email newseditor@mtsusidelines.com.
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