University students teamed up last week with peta2, a young adult division of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, to draft a petition seeking the expansion of vegetarian and vegan options available through University Dining.
The students exceeded their goal of obtaining 400 signatures the first day, receiving a total of 497 signatures. Fourth-year College student Ashley Chappo, an opinion columnist for The Cavalier Daily, helped mobilize support for the petition through her column “A fur-vent debate,” which encouraged students to become more educated about animal rights. Shortly after Chappo’s column was published March 2, Peta2 contacted her about founding a student organization for animal rights at the University. Peta2, headquartered in Norfolk, Va., sent its campus outreach team to Charlottesville to help students write the petition.
Chappo asserted in an interview that dining locations need healthier food options, citing a recent survey conducted by ARAMARK, a leading food-service provider that serves the University, in addition to more than 400 campuses in the United States and Canada. The survey found that one in four college students actively seek out vegan options when they sit down to eat. In support of this finding, Ryan Huling, senior college campaign coordinator for peta2, noted that while traveling to a variety of colleges and universities across the country, students have shown a increased interest in vegetarian alternatives.
“Students are becoming increasingly educated about cruelty for killing animals for food,” Huling said.
Currently, there are vegan and vegetarian stations in each University dining room, and on “Meat-Free Monday,” Dining provides an additional vegan or vegetarian option. Tofu and vegan burgers always are available upon request in every dining location.
The student supporters of the petition and peta2, however, do not believe the current offerings include a substantial amount and variety of vegetarian and vegan choices.
Bookmarks