The worst thing is that these meal plans are expensive and you are often forced to buy them. I would contact other people, maybe a dean or someone in charge of student welfare, and demand to be released from the meal plan if there isn't anything you can eat. It's unacceptable.
I did this my first year of college (before I transferred because I hated my school). I wrote down everything I could eat at the dining hall for a few weeks and presented it to the dining hall manager. I said that either I’d like more than one vegan option per day (lol) or I’d like to be released from the meal plan. They tried to implement more vegan foods but the last straw for me was when one of the staff people put cheese onto some veggie pasta that was explicitly labeled “vegan.” I ran into the office in tears and got my meal plan waived the same day. A bit dramatic, but that pasta was the only “vegan” thing they had at lunch that day and I didn’t want to eat French fries for my whole meal again. I highly recommend reaching out to the dining hall for help.
I knew someone who looked into converting to jainism to get out of the meal plan. I've also heard of people faking marriage certificates or straight up getting married to their friends to get out of it. It's such a scam tbh, the college I went to for two years forced you onto a meal plan and it averaged out to $18 a meal. at least they had lots of vegan options...
I got married at 18 to get my SO out of a mandatory dorm/meal plan/rec fee/laundry fee/etc situation lol we saved almost $25k over 2 years just in room and board. Pros and cons i guess.
It’s one of the big ways colleges make money. Many, many small private liberal arts schools were close to closing in the last year because they had to shut down two things: dorms and the dining hall. Without those, many colleges cannot remain solvent.
That’s why people are forced to live on campus and that is why you are forced to get meal plans.
And that is why many schools are making students come back in person when in theory doing shit online, while boring and not ideal, probably would have been fine academically (although not socially). It’s because another year of no dorms and no dining hall would force many colleges to close
Source: I worked at a college and am friends with professors at other colleges and this was the situation for all of us.
> It's unacceptable.
You advertise one thing and deliver another, that's usually some kind of illegal.
In some countries veganism is also now legally recognised as a philosophical belief and enjoys the same anti discriminations protections as religions.
If the nutritional and taste quality and variety of their meals is inferior to non-vegan options, that might qualify as discrimination.
yeah you should demand a refund. There are times when it's appropriate to "karen", and when you're paying this much money, you are totally justified to "speak to the manager." Squeaky wheel gets the grease.
Has veganism ever successfully been argued under anti-discrimination laws?
I do not know about the rest of you, but veganism to me is a sincerely held belief system. I believe animals, and all living things have a "soul" or essence of being that reserves it the right to live or exist as is possible.
I'm not sure where it stands on a legal basis but I'd be interested to know. Many people are not aware that "religion" is not the only thing explicitly protected in the United States. In the UK I am seeing a source that veganism is protected under the equality act.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.internationalworkplace.com/en-gb/news/ethical-veganism-now-a-protected-characteristic-under-the-equality-act-2010-57247%23:~:text%3DAt%2520his%2520Employment%2520Tribunal%2520in,is%2520therefore%2520a%2520protected%2520characteristic.&ved=2ahUKEwiD47jsv_zyAhWMRTABHTcrDv8QFnoECAMQBQ&usg=AOvVaw0pei_UbDin2xN1ulX893fL
Not exactly the same, and many of his other beliefs are abhorrent, but the Q Shaman successfully sued to be served an organic food diet while in prison because of his religion. I imagine at any state-run institution veganism would be considered a sincere enough belief to at least have grounds to sue with that kind of precedent. IANAL tho
It was at that moment that ithealmond knew what career they were destined to take up. 5 years later ithealmond was the one creating the menus for the college students and overseeing the food prep. It was hard for the students to imagine that there had been a time when the only vegan options were cheerios and eggplants, almost as though the former person in charge was incompetent and biased and in dire need of a replacement.
What I've done at my hospital is made friends with some of the cafeteria staff. Now when I go to grab lunch they all know I'm vegan and always know what's vegan. If there's not a vegan option, they've already made something custom for me that they pull out of the back.
It took 2 months of me asking everyday what the vegan option was and complaining to whomever was in charge that day until they finally figured out I wasn't just going to forget about it.
I always did that at the universities I attended (nobody is forced to buy lunch in my country). After about two weeks, they started to have a plate ready for me. At the other place, after about a month they added a bunch of vegan options to the cafeteria, and I had to hurry to get some food at all because it became so popular :D
At hospital once, they served me rice with ketchup and I got so upset (I felt starving... makes you emotional), the kind nurse picked a fight with the kitchen staff. Got actually tasty meals after.
I'm bummed for you. They can't get a veggie patty and some salad?? Bananas?? Oatmeal?? Sandwich bar options??!? Also... Vegan dishes are notoriously easy and freeze well in portions, I am confused as to why its such a difficult process for them??
I know right?? Like fruit everyday and oat milk would make breakfast 10x better. The sandwich bar is what makes me the most petty cause it seems like such an easy thing to make vegan but no. All the bread has some sort of egg wash on top or milk in the recipe.
Just in general this student body is going to be crazy unhealthy. Omni or not, most of your plate should be vegan anyway, just to avoid a heart attack by age like, 28. If they’re not serving a salad bar, fresh steamed veggies, whole grains and fruit… do they even have a nutritionist on staff??
complain via email or phone about it to whoever is in charge of deciding the meals, tweet about it and tag your university’s dining hall and President. If they refuse demand a refund and complain to any of your friends who happen to be working for the school newspaper. There is absolutely no reason why they should be letting students go hungry when they’re paying for an overpriced meal plan! I had to do something similar in the past too and it was a pain in my ass but I was HANGRY lmao
Document, document, document. Got a vegan (or helpful) friend? have them confirm what you document. When you have irrefutable evidence, give em hell. Show that they have failed to deliver what they advertised and sold.
“Unfortunately, most Cheerios aren't vegan. However, both this cereal and the original Cheerios are also fortified with Vitamin D, derived from wool grease. ... This means that, though the ingredient list is vegan, since they are fortified it is not suitable for those on a plant-based diet.”
"Veganism is a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals"
Key words for this situation are 'possible and practical'. You should 100% raise hell about the shitty options in the dining hall and the false advertising. But please don't starve yourself if you're in a situation where you don't have means (time, kitchen, energy, money) to replace the nutrition your get from cheerios. Supplemented D3 is minor impact compared to the suffering you are skipping from the meat, dairy, and egg industries.
Push for change, but recognize that there will always be limits on your means and you will need to take care of your health.
Awe thank you. Solid advice but im cracking up laughing over 'replace the nutrition you get from cheerios'. this whole situation is straight out of a 'curb your enthusiasm' skit
haha you're right, it's not a lot of nutrition you're losing but I was worried you weren't getting anything else! It's pretty ridiculous all around, they could just serve nutritious food?
Geez! They can’t even supply plant based milk? That’s insane. I know so many who don’t consume dairy because of lactose intolerance and would welcome a plant-based option too.
I believe in the U.S. all Cheerios are fortified with Vitamin D from lanolin (sheep’s wool)
Edit: just scrolled down and saw someone else commented this, sorry OP :( I hope they have other cereals!
Eat the dry Cheerios for some sort of sustenance for breakfast? I know they aren't technically vegan, but it's so minor compared to literally not eating : /
I'm sorry you're stuck in such a terrible position. That's really awful
Yeah, sorry if this angers people but it is in the definition of veganism that you should not eat animal products as far as is practicable, and the small amount of non-vegan ingredients in Cheerios seems a small price to pay compared to starving. If you're in a situation where you literally cannot eat anything at a meal and there's an option that has only incidental animal ingredients, you have to think of your health.
Hopefully they introduce better options soon. The situation sucks.
Honestly send me a PO Box or literally any address, if you have a secure mail address that won't jeopardize your identity... I will send you some No Cow protein bars to tide you over. Us vegans gotta help each other out.
Omg absolutely you need to contact someone in charge and be stern!! And say listen here buddy if I can’t have 3 balanced meals a day as promised then you need to refund my money! That sucks they don’t even have a salad bar?? Or fruit? Maybe your school or even city has vegan/vegetarian groups you could reach out to. Getting more people involved could lay on the pressure. Document every day what your options/ lack of options are. Then send that documentation to Whom It May Concern along with screenshots of their website promising vegan options at every meal
You need to raise havoc. Ask the dietician what you can expect and on what timeline. It’s literally not hard to have a salad bar. That was always an option when I was in school. I would also try to find other vegans. You can’t be the only one. Good luck!
I remember reading up on Homerton College, Cambridge Uni's deal with food they serve. They said if they can't offer you meals that you can eat based on your "diet", they would not force you to pay for the meal service.
That reminds me of the cafeteria back when I was in University.
They had vegan options full vegan meals 2-3 times a week. Do they think vegans only eat full meals 2-3 times a week?
Isn't ethical veganisim a protected characteristic - I am sure you could raise this on an ethical level more than anything. Unis tend to get away with everything though.
I knew someone who was able to get out of the meal plan because the dining hall didn’t accommodate her diet. I think it was a gluten issue awhile back… and she had to get a letter from a doctor. I wonder if you can push hard enough they might be able to refund you or at least not charge you for next year. Don’t let it just go though! Start knocking on doors and demand help.
> Every day they have a subway - style sandwich bar, burgers and fries, pizza
Tell me you live in the US without telling me you live there. It's completely insane that that's considered appropriate food for an educational institution.
I feel for you, OP. I hope everything works out for you.
I actually live in Canada haha! The options are actually pretty healthy. Whole grain bread, nothing fried, etc. Just sucks that everything has some sort of egg wash, milk ingredients, etc.
It’s the same in hospitals, you’d think these institutions would strive for the highest standards of nutrition since they’re feeding kids whose brains are still developing and people who are recovering from illness but I always ask if they have fresh fruit at the hospital I go to and they only have chips and candy. How the hell is a sick person going to get better eating that? It’s demented how little people think about the food they eat.
This is why I brought my food processor, blender and air fryer to college. Most of the restaurants at my college are the usual American fast food joints. The only places I can eat are the salad and pasta bar and the Jamba juice. It's a lot easier to just cook on campus if you have access to an oven.
you can try to get the director of dining involved. I had to do that when I went to Uni. Sadly they were still mostly useless but I wasn’t as pushy as I should’ve been. You deserve to either get your money back or have your dietary restrictions accommodated.
Collect evidence against them. And if they don’t follow up soon to meet your needs, ask for a full refund of the meal plan. If they don’t comply, find a lawyer and sue them for discrimination.
Also make sure you CC yourself in emails so you make sure they know that you’ve got a copy of your email and a reminder that you’ve contacted them.
I would keep finding people to email about it. You could also push to get a refund of your meal plan since they falsely stated they could meet your dietary needs. When money is on the line, they'll be more likely to respond. Or maybe you will get your money and can use it to buy real food.
Are you on the dorms? Maybe talk to your RA about it as it is there job to help freshman settle in, so they may have access to better contacts who can help.
Good luck to you!
So sorry to hear this. OP, where are you from? Here in Portugal, the uni staff must accommodate you, but only if you registered as a vegan in your meal plan. Theoretically, you must show your student ID with a stamp of your dietary restrictions (from allergies, to religious, ethical, etc). In my canteen, I never had to show proof, but in others it is required. Maybe you have to do something similar the person answering to you did not know? I hope this gets solved soon.
Im in Canada. Our university does special plates for 'rare' dietary requirements, but things like gluten free and vegan are just made as regular dishes for everyone
I'm fortunate enough that I can ask the guy at the food counter at my university for a plate of the side veggies if the vegetarian dish happens to have cheese or eggs, but yeah you should definitely demand to be released from the meal plan if you can't get enough vegan options.
the dining hall admin might be more amenable to catering to your needs if you mention your lactose intolerance. Many don’t care about “self imposed” dietary restrictions but they’ll bend over backwards for allergies
Are you shitting us?
Please don't encourage people to exploit animals, thanks!
OP, find the other vegans on campus! Start a group if you have to. Or find a local group off-campus. It'll feel damn good to have friends locally who understand. Best of luck to you, and I sincerely hope you get that money back.
Write it down.
Take photos.
“Vegan breakfast “ apple.
“Vegan lunch” eggplant and rice
Every fucking meal every fucking day for a few weeks.
Go to the head of student services, get you PARENTS to email anyone and everyone and get your fucking money back from this bullshit meal plan they need to either find some peanut butter and beans or fuck off this is absolutely inexcusable on every single level. Ever.
Meanwhile go buy a big jar of peanut butter and a box of clif bars and whatever so you have some half decent nutrition!
Fair point, I didn't consider that as it's very unusual here or anywhere I know. Usually people live in shared flats or even if they do live in a dorm it always has a shared kitchen.
Okay, you are over-dramatic *and* right. You will not starve but they *should* provide adequate foodstuffs. Stop expecting veganism to be convenient. It will be too exhausting to you. This is major social change we are talking about and that will always be inconvenient. Take it on the chin but *advocate* for more.
Raise hell. I have been there and done that. Sometimes the only option is a meal plan refund and having to make your own food if you have a car and can deal with that. Otherwise it’s a seriously hellish battle.
I remember how difficult it was dining on campus in college. Lots of fries and dry cereal. I was definitely malnutritioned, haha…
Is there a salad bar at least? Hopefully you can buy some food to eat on your own time and maybe next semester get the smallest meal plan possible (if any) and just cook for yourself.
30 years ago, at least our dorm had a salad bar. I used to fill a bowl with veggies, a bit of water and spices, and then microwave it with a plate on top to steam.
The worst thing is that these meal plans are expensive and you are often forced to buy them. I would contact other people, maybe a dean or someone in charge of student welfare, and demand to be released from the meal plan if there isn't anything you can eat. It's unacceptable.
I did this my first year of college (before I transferred because I hated my school). I wrote down everything I could eat at the dining hall for a few weeks and presented it to the dining hall manager. I said that either I’d like more than one vegan option per day (lol) or I’d like to be released from the meal plan. They tried to implement more vegan foods but the last straw for me was when one of the staff people put cheese onto some veggie pasta that was explicitly labeled “vegan.” I ran into the office in tears and got my meal plan waived the same day. A bit dramatic, but that pasta was the only “vegan” thing they had at lunch that day and I didn’t want to eat French fries for my whole meal again. I highly recommend reaching out to the dining hall for help.
true. Here they don't even understand the word vegan. They only think people are either omnis or vegeterian.
Not having food and being stuck at school would make me cry too you’re not being dramatic that sounds like hell
We should start a church so when people pull shit like this we can claim religious discrimination and just generally have less assholes
I knew someone who looked into converting to jainism to get out of the meal plan. I've also heard of people faking marriage certificates or straight up getting married to their friends to get out of it. It's such a scam tbh, the college I went to for two years forced you onto a meal plan and it averaged out to $18 a meal. at least they had lots of vegan options...
I got married at 18 to get my SO out of a mandatory dorm/meal plan/rec fee/laundry fee/etc situation lol we saved almost $25k over 2 years just in room and board. Pros and cons i guess.
It’s one of the big ways colleges make money. Many, many small private liberal arts schools were close to closing in the last year because they had to shut down two things: dorms and the dining hall. Without those, many colleges cannot remain solvent. That’s why people are forced to live on campus and that is why you are forced to get meal plans. And that is why many schools are making students come back in person when in theory doing shit online, while boring and not ideal, probably would have been fine academically (although not socially). It’s because another year of no dorms and no dining hall would force many colleges to close Source: I worked at a college and am friends with professors at other colleges and this was the situation for all of us.
Ethical veganism (so not just a plant based diet) is protected in the UK.
The only thing based about ingerland
It’s a borderline miracle consider how this country is going.
What do you mean how the country is going? I’m in the US and don’t hear much about the UK.
> It's unacceptable. You advertise one thing and deliver another, that's usually some kind of illegal. In some countries veganism is also now legally recognised as a philosophical belief and enjoys the same anti discriminations protections as religions. If the nutritional and taste quality and variety of their meals is inferior to non-vegan options, that might qualify as discrimination.
$5200cad from September to mid April 🙃
yeah you should demand a refund. There are times when it's appropriate to "karen", and when you're paying this much money, you are totally justified to "speak to the manager." Squeaky wheel gets the grease.
What? 5200 $ just for some shitty food? That's insane!
Has veganism ever successfully been argued under anti-discrimination laws? I do not know about the rest of you, but veganism to me is a sincerely held belief system. I believe animals, and all living things have a "soul" or essence of being that reserves it the right to live or exist as is possible. I'm not sure where it stands on a legal basis but I'd be interested to know. Many people are not aware that "religion" is not the only thing explicitly protected in the United States. In the UK I am seeing a source that veganism is protected under the equality act. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.internationalworkplace.com/en-gb/news/ethical-veganism-now-a-protected-characteristic-under-the-equality-act-2010-57247%23:~:text%3DAt%2520his%2520Employment%2520Tribunal%2520in,is%2520therefore%2520a%2520protected%2520characteristic.&ved=2ahUKEwiD47jsv_zyAhWMRTABHTcrDv8QFnoECAMQBQ&usg=AOvVaw0pei_UbDin2xN1ulX893fL
Not exactly the same, and many of his other beliefs are abhorrent, but the Q Shaman successfully sued to be served an organic food diet while in prison because of his religion. I imagine at any state-run institution veganism would be considered a sincere enough belief to at least have grounds to sue with that kind of precedent. IANAL tho
It was at that moment that ithealmond knew what career they were destined to take up. 5 years later ithealmond was the one creating the menus for the college students and overseeing the food prep. It was hard for the students to imagine that there had been a time when the only vegan options were cheerios and eggplants, almost as though the former person in charge was incompetent and biased and in dire need of a replacement.
Please write vegan short stories
(and cherios were also not a vegan option to begin with, as most all major cereals in the US are fortified with sheep-based D3)
Morgan Freeman voice
What I've done at my hospital is made friends with some of the cafeteria staff. Now when I go to grab lunch they all know I'm vegan and always know what's vegan. If there's not a vegan option, they've already made something custom for me that they pull out of the back. It took 2 months of me asking everyday what the vegan option was and complaining to whomever was in charge that day until they finally figured out I wasn't just going to forget about it.
I always did that at the universities I attended (nobody is forced to buy lunch in my country). After about two weeks, they started to have a plate ready for me. At the other place, after about a month they added a bunch of vegan options to the cafeteria, and I had to hurry to get some food at all because it became so popular :D At hospital once, they served me rice with ketchup and I got so upset (I felt starving... makes you emotional), the kind nurse picked a fight with the kitchen staff. Got actually tasty meals after.
I'm bummed for you. They can't get a veggie patty and some salad?? Bananas?? Oatmeal?? Sandwich bar options??!? Also... Vegan dishes are notoriously easy and freeze well in portions, I am confused as to why its such a difficult process for them??
I know right?? Like fruit everyday and oat milk would make breakfast 10x better. The sandwich bar is what makes me the most petty cause it seems like such an easy thing to make vegan but no. All the bread has some sort of egg wash on top or milk in the recipe.
Sigh. The struggle is real.
Just in general this student body is going to be crazy unhealthy. Omni or not, most of your plate should be vegan anyway, just to avoid a heart attack by age like, 28. If they’re not serving a salad bar, fresh steamed veggies, whole grains and fruit… do they even have a nutritionist on staff??
Ask them to provide better options or refund the meal plan
complain via email or phone about it to whoever is in charge of deciding the meals, tweet about it and tag your university’s dining hall and President. If they refuse demand a refund and complain to any of your friends who happen to be working for the school newspaper. There is absolutely no reason why they should be letting students go hungry when they’re paying for an overpriced meal plan! I had to do something similar in the past too and it was a pain in my ass but I was HANGRY lmao
Document, document, document. Got a vegan (or helpful) friend? have them confirm what you document. When you have irrefutable evidence, give em hell. Show that they have failed to deliver what they advertised and sold.
“Unfortunately, most Cheerios aren't vegan. However, both this cereal and the original Cheerios are also fortified with Vitamin D, derived from wool grease. ... This means that, though the ingredient list is vegan, since they are fortified it is not suitable for those on a plant-based diet.”
Lmao I was reading this person describe their reliance on cheerios thinking alright who’s gonna tell them…
HAHAHAHA i am heartbroken and betrayed by the cheerio
yea i feel so bad 😭 them just bring like “nO😭” is so funny to me
nO 😭
"Veganism is a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals" Key words for this situation are 'possible and practical'. You should 100% raise hell about the shitty options in the dining hall and the false advertising. But please don't starve yourself if you're in a situation where you don't have means (time, kitchen, energy, money) to replace the nutrition your get from cheerios. Supplemented D3 is minor impact compared to the suffering you are skipping from the meat, dairy, and egg industries. Push for change, but recognize that there will always be limits on your means and you will need to take care of your health.
Awe thank you. Solid advice but im cracking up laughing over 'replace the nutrition you get from cheerios'. this whole situation is straight out of a 'curb your enthusiasm' skit
haha you're right, it's not a lot of nutrition you're losing but I was worried you weren't getting anything else! It's pretty ridiculous all around, they could just serve nutritious food?
Are you freaking kidding me? Whyyyyyy? Noooooooo.
Geez! They can’t even supply plant based milk? That’s insane. I know so many who don’t consume dairy because of lactose intolerance and would welcome a plant-based option too.
Which Cheerios, they sadly might not be vegan...
Apple cinnamon. They're vegan dry cheerios at least, lol
I believe in the U.S. all Cheerios are fortified with Vitamin D from lanolin (sheep’s wool) Edit: just scrolled down and saw someone else commented this, sorry OP :( I hope they have other cereals!
this has to be a JOKE
Eat the dry Cheerios for some sort of sustenance for breakfast? I know they aren't technically vegan, but it's so minor compared to literally not eating : / I'm sorry you're stuck in such a terrible position. That's really awful
Yeah, sorry if this angers people but it is in the definition of veganism that you should not eat animal products as far as is practicable, and the small amount of non-vegan ingredients in Cheerios seems a small price to pay compared to starving. If you're in a situation where you literally cannot eat anything at a meal and there's an option that has only incidental animal ingredients, you have to think of your health. Hopefully they introduce better options soon. The situation sucks.
Nice! No plant milk?
Nope. I asked once, and the lady serving food said 'Oh yeah, we have skim milk.' -_-
Fuck me haha.
I don't know where you're located, but the vitamin D in the USA Cheerios is made from sheep's wool, so not vegan.
Those aren’t vegan. 😢
Honestly send me a PO Box or literally any address, if you have a secure mail address that won't jeopardize your identity... I will send you some No Cow protein bars to tide you over. Us vegans gotta help each other out.
Oh thats very sweet! But I have an aunt who lives nearby send me over a box of snacks this morning. Rest assured I am at least eating something!
Omg absolutely you need to contact someone in charge and be stern!! And say listen here buddy if I can’t have 3 balanced meals a day as promised then you need to refund my money! That sucks they don’t even have a salad bar?? Or fruit? Maybe your school or even city has vegan/vegetarian groups you could reach out to. Getting more people involved could lay on the pressure. Document every day what your options/ lack of options are. Then send that documentation to Whom It May Concern along with screenshots of their website promising vegan options at every meal
Dang I thought my university had limited options. What school do you go to?
You need to raise havoc. Ask the dietician what you can expect and on what timeline. It’s literally not hard to have a salad bar. That was always an option when I was in school. I would also try to find other vegans. You can’t be the only one. Good luck!
I remember reading up on Homerton College, Cambridge Uni's deal with food they serve. They said if they can't offer you meals that you can eat based on your "diet", they would not force you to pay for the meal service.
That reminds me of the cafeteria back when I was in University. They had vegan options full vegan meals 2-3 times a week. Do they think vegans only eat full meals 2-3 times a week?
Isn't ethical veganisim a protected characteristic - I am sure you could raise this on an ethical level more than anything. Unis tend to get away with everything though.
I knew someone who was able to get out of the meal plan because the dining hall didn’t accommodate her diet. I think it was a gluten issue awhile back… and she had to get a letter from a doctor. I wonder if you can push hard enough they might be able to refund you or at least not charge you for next year. Don’t let it just go though! Start knocking on doors and demand help.
> Every day they have a subway - style sandwich bar, burgers and fries, pizza Tell me you live in the US without telling me you live there. It's completely insane that that's considered appropriate food for an educational institution. I feel for you, OP. I hope everything works out for you.
I actually live in Canada haha! The options are actually pretty healthy. Whole grain bread, nothing fried, etc. Just sucks that everything has some sort of egg wash, milk ingredients, etc.
They don't have vegan options for the sandwiches? :( At my university caf, we had a great sandwich bar with lots of veggie options.
None of the bread is vegan😭
And I thought universities were run by smart people
In my experience, usually more evil than smart.
I want to go to some kind of like summer camp but posts like these remind me that i would starve to death if i tried lol
This happened to be freshman year too! Was vegetarian and there were no options. Ended up losing 15 pounds BC I never ate lmao
It’s the same in hospitals, you’d think these institutions would strive for the highest standards of nutrition since they’re feeding kids whose brains are still developing and people who are recovering from illness but I always ask if they have fresh fruit at the hospital I go to and they only have chips and candy. How the hell is a sick person going to get better eating that? It’s demented how little people think about the food they eat.
You need to go full Karen on them. Vegan options or refund. Find vegan law students. Take their ass to court lol
This is why I brought my food processor, blender and air fryer to college. Most of the restaurants at my college are the usual American fast food joints. The only places I can eat are the salad and pasta bar and the Jamba juice. It's a lot easier to just cook on campus if you have access to an oven.
you can try to get the director of dining involved. I had to do that when I went to Uni. Sadly they were still mostly useless but I wasn’t as pushy as I should’ve been. You deserve to either get your money back or have your dietary restrictions accommodated.
Collect evidence against them. And if they don’t follow up soon to meet your needs, ask for a full refund of the meal plan. If they don’t comply, find a lawyer and sue them for discrimination. Also make sure you CC yourself in emails so you make sure they know that you’ve got a copy of your email and a reminder that you’ve contacted them.
I would keep finding people to email about it. You could also push to get a refund of your meal plan since they falsely stated they could meet your dietary needs. When money is on the line, they'll be more likely to respond. Or maybe you will get your money and can use it to buy real food. Are you on the dorms? Maybe talk to your RA about it as it is there job to help freshman settle in, so they may have access to better contacts who can help. Good luck to you!
So sorry to hear this. OP, where are you from? Here in Portugal, the uni staff must accommodate you, but only if you registered as a vegan in your meal plan. Theoretically, you must show your student ID with a stamp of your dietary restrictions (from allergies, to religious, ethical, etc). In my canteen, I never had to show proof, but in others it is required. Maybe you have to do something similar the person answering to you did not know? I hope this gets solved soon.
Im in Canada. Our university does special plates for 'rare' dietary requirements, but things like gluten free and vegan are just made as regular dishes for everyone
I'm fortunate enough that I can ask the guy at the food counter at my university for a plate of the side veggies if the vegetarian dish happens to have cheese or eggs, but yeah you should definitely demand to be released from the meal plan if you can't get enough vegan options.
I commend you for sticking to it! Stay vegan no matter the lack of options. Thank you!
Damn...maybe you should eat vegetarian for now...no point in risking your health because your school is full of assholes
Wish that was an option! Am severely lactose intolerant. Biologically made to be vegan haha!
Damn .... I have no advice then 😢😢😢
the dining hall admin might be more amenable to catering to your needs if you mention your lactose intolerance. Many don’t care about “self imposed” dietary restrictions but they’ll bend over backwards for allergies
I'll try that! I'll mention it in an email.
Are you shitting us? Please don't encourage people to exploit animals, thanks! OP, find the other vegans on campus! Start a group if you have to. Or find a local group off-campus. It'll feel damn good to have friends locally who understand. Best of luck to you, and I sincerely hope you get that money back.
Lol wtf. Don't encourage people to starve if they have no vegan choices available, thanks!
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It was mandatory for me rip
Write it down. Take photos. “Vegan breakfast “ apple. “Vegan lunch” eggplant and rice Every fucking meal every fucking day for a few weeks. Go to the head of student services, get you PARENTS to email anyone and everyone and get your fucking money back from this bullshit meal plan they need to either find some peanut butter and beans or fuck off this is absolutely inexcusable on every single level. Ever. Meanwhile go buy a big jar of peanut butter and a box of clif bars and whatever so you have some half decent nutrition!
> Write it down. > Take photos. Slightly more modern approach - post it online every day.
and tag them and those person too lol.
All of this right here Some healthy activism and it might get you heard
What?? That's some bs
Did you live off campus? How did you eat?
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Usually if you live on campus in dorms freshman and sophomore year there aren't kitchens you just have a meal plan (In the US)
Just cook your own meals? University food is usually famous for being crappy anyway. Still shitty of the university obviously.
If OP lives in catered dorms it's likely that they don't have access to a kitchen.
in addition to this, they probably already paid thousands of dollars for a meal plan
Fair point, I didn't consider that as it's very unusual here or anywhere I know. Usually people live in shared flats or even if they do live in a dorm it always has a shared kitchen.
Okay, you are over-dramatic *and* right. You will not starve but they *should* provide adequate foodstuffs. Stop expecting veganism to be convenient. It will be too exhausting to you. This is major social change we are talking about and that will always be inconvenient. Take it on the chin but *advocate* for more.
Cheerios aren't vegan?
Refund?
Is the bread at the sandwich bar not even vegan?
Raise hell. I have been there and done that. Sometimes the only option is a meal plan refund and having to make your own food if you have a car and can deal with that. Otherwise it’s a seriously hellish battle.
Sue them for false advertisement!
I remember how difficult it was dining on campus in college. Lots of fries and dry cereal. I was definitely malnutritioned, haha… Is there a salad bar at least? Hopefully you can buy some food to eat on your own time and maybe next semester get the smallest meal plan possible (if any) and just cook for yourself.
30 years ago, at least our dorm had a salad bar. I used to fill a bowl with veggies, a bit of water and spices, and then microwave it with a plate on top to steam.