I chose DU, I pay thousands of dollars for DU, I moved 1,800 miles away from my family for DU; I call DU home. After all of this, the university has disappointed me. It is providing fuel for my body that not only is unsatisfying and unhealthy, but unethical and environmentally unsustainable as well.
Whether students are eating rubber chicken or wilted lettuce, the dining hall’s options are below par, both for your palate and conscience. The university should serve students food of which we can all be proud.
Regardless of a student’s diet, each and every individual attending this school should have access to meals that are tolerable and do not support animal cruelty or environmental degradation. Students are expected to uphold the virtues and codes of this school, but what about the school upholding its own values?
The on-campus dining institutions seem to be disregarding the Health & Counseling Center’s declaration that they are “committed to promoting healthy lifestyles to DU students.” Hamburgers and pepperoni pizza everyday should not be anyone’s idea of proper nutrition.
Even apart from all the harmful oil and fat, studies, such as those conducted by Dr. T. Colin Cambell author of The China Study, have shown that large amounts of animal protein can promote heart disease, diabetes, obesity and certain types of cancer.
The university is not only obligated to support student health, but they have voluntarily created a center to foster healthy living. Admittedly, eating well is partially the responsibility of individuals, but when the healthy options are less than inviting after a long day of class, I don’t blame anyone for going for the comfort foods.
Unfortunately, I don’t take comfort in the majority of options served for breakfast, lunch or dinner due to their environmental ramifications. The university claims to be working towards sustainability and on their website boast such statements as, “We strive to make the world a more peaceful, secure, and stable place.”
As reported in the New York Times, industrial animal agriculture creates more greenhouse gases than all of the transportation worldwide, and simultaneously produces immense water pollution and global deforestation.
A carnivore riding a bike has a larger carbon footprint than a vegan driving a hummer. So if DU wants to be environmentally friendly they need to pursue the integration of more vegan products on campus.
Furthermore, every serving of meat, dairy or eggs is supporting the torture and slaughter of billions of farm animals each year. Kept in filthy, disease-ridden and inhumane conditions, these animals are abused and neglected for the extent of their lives.
Each of these creatures has a unique personality and is fully capable of feeling pain. Is the school that encourages social responsibility going to disregard the immense ethical offense being committed here? If asked point blank, DU would surely not assert that it is socially responsible to contribute to the exploitation of billions of animals. But by purchasing and serving the products they do this is the reality of their choices.
We’re certainly not Pioneers on this front. DU dining halls fail to make the Princeton Review’s list of best dining hall food and on the web rank 380th healthiest and 317th best “veg-friendly options” of schools nationwide. Aramark, a major food supplier to colleges and universities, found that one of four students polled said vegan options were important to them.
The number of vegan college students has also more than doubled since 2005.
In response, some schools, such as the University of North Texas, have been taking powerful initiative to reinforce their support for students. Recently they opened The Mean Green Café, a 100 percent vegan cafeteria on campus.
In January 2012, the University of California-San Diego followed suit with an all-vegan dining hall called Roots. It’s time to take the hint, have a little courage and leap into vegan eating options.
I have chosen DU, and as a student I have committed to maintaining the university’s values in addition to my own. Now all I ask of DU is to consider practicing what it preaches consistently.
Upholding the university’s principles means implementing more plant-based options throughout campus. By continuing to foster communication between dining hall services, other campus authorities and the student community, it will be possible to work towards having more plant-based accommodations and even an all-vegan dining hall on campus.
I am not alone and I am not simply coming from a vegan animal advocate perspective, though I can’t deny my identity.
Your values and intentions can be admirable, but they hold no meaning if they are not maintained through your various actions.
The intent of these changes would not be to make non-vegans upset or unwelcome, but to enable everyone, including those with restricted diets, to enjoy a variety of healthier and tastier dishes with less environmental and ethical ramifications.
As is so encouraged of DU students, it’s time for the university to challenge the process and take initiative. Denver, what will you DU?
