Veganize Your College Dining Hall and Get a Thousand Bucks

We’re all about vegan-only dining halls on college campuses (and, well, everywhere else, too). Last year, we squawked with delight when the University of North Texas opened a totally vegan cafeteria. Shortly thereafter, the University of California San Diego followed suit by opening the all-vegan campus dining cafe, Roots.
There is something particularly impactful about grabbing onto college students (not literally!) and showing them the delicious world of compassion that comes with going vegan. College students are, after all, in a learning environment, open to new ideas and direction — and frequently in search of an identity and a purpose, not to mention a good meal. (The dire necessity of college outreach is something that Jon Camp of Vegan Outreach discussed with us recently on our podcast.) Get ’em while they’re young.
That’s why I adore pETA2’s new campaign to offer a $1,000 reward to the first student group to convert a meat-serving dining hall into a vegan one. There are a few rules to be aware of: the group must be a registered one;  a petition with at least 100 student names must be gathered; the current dining hall must cater to at least 200 students a day now, and currently offer meat; and the dining services staff has to provide written notice to peta2 about the new all-vegan direction. peta2 offers a very informative and handy “How to Veganize Your Dining Hall” video and resource page, which, one would think, would be useful here.
Regardless of whether or not you’re a student, or whether or not you’re interested in this particular contest, working with your cafeteria — be it through your school or work — to incorporate vegan options, or, better yet, to go completely vegan, is one of the most powerful things we animal advocates can do.
Our temporary digs, Portland, has proven to us how scrumptious the results can be! As we discussed on our most recent podcast episode — Episode 137 — just last week, we visited the hospital cafeteria called Living Well Bistro. Yes, we went on purpose.. to a hospital cafeteria. And yes, it is completely vegan! (And, by the way, EAT THERE.) If a hospital can make the connection, certainly a college dining hall can.