After being nominated as one of the most vegetarian-friendly schools in the country, Penn State will be competing with other colleges and universities for a title that could make local vegetarian students proud.
Penn State is one of 32 colleges and universities to be selected for the "Most Vegetarian-Friendly School" in the nation. The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) holds the competition annually to honor the schools for their efforts of diverse menus on campus.
"I'm very excited that we are being nominated this year because this is something we've really tried to strive for," said Michele Newhard, Food Services special projects manager.
Penn State is first pitted against the University of Pennsylvania. The school with the most votes advances to next round. The winner of all five rounds is named the champion.
Newhard encouraged students and faculty to vote every day for Penn State at PETA's Web site. The first round ends Nov. 6.
Corporate executive chef and adviser of Penn State's Vegetarian Advisory Board (VAB) Bill Laychur said Penn State has always been vegetarian-friendly, but VAB's efforts during recent years are what helped gain this year's recognition.
"We have a large segment of vegetarian customers, and we feel that it's very important to meet their needs," he said.
Newhard brought Food Services to work together with VAB in 1996. Through the years, VAB has provided a great deal of student feedback to develop a stronger vegetarian program.
Executive chef Mark Kowalski began working with VAB last year, listening to opinions the students give at VAB's weekly meetings.
"The meetings are very helpful," Kowalski said. "Students bring menu items they'd like to see, and we look at them, evaluate them and add them to the menu."
Another reason Penn State was nominated is the conversion of Simmons Dining Hall, which became an all-healthy eatery this semester, Newhard said.
Though every dining hall at Penn State offers meatless entrees, Simmons offers a variety of different vegetarian and vegan choices. Different meal choices include bruschetta flatbread, Israeli couscous and lemon-scented quinoa, along with six different vegetarian soups served daily.
"I think [that's] what really put us over the top -- because Simmons provides far more options," Newhard said.
Along with the meetings, VAB continues to raise awareness to make the campus vegetarian-friendly by celebrating World Vegetarian Day on Oct. 1 and the Great American Meatout on March 20.
"We hope to show customers that there are a variety of tasty ways to eat a vegetarian diet," Newhard said. "We're just sort of boosting awareness and maybe making an extra grain salad or two to heighten awareness."
