Back to School: Baby Boomers in the Classroom
Vegetarian and Vegan Friendly Campus? Issues in Attracting and
Supporting Plant-based Students in UniversitiesAACRAO SEM 2013
Annual MeetingChicago, IL Wednesday, November 13, 9:15 AMSession
Code: 1713Reta1pRESENTERSRodney Parks, Registrar and Associate
Professor, Elon UniversityBrett Evans, Research Assistant, Elon
University
Reta
2IntroductionThe purpose of this session is to share information
and insights gathered from a study that was conducted to explore
the unique experiences of vegetarian and vegan students at a medium
sized private university. This study focused on self-identified
vegetarian and vegan students who were enrolled in college courses
during the spring 2013 academic term. There is very little
literature available Goal to begin examination of this particular
group of students to aid in the development of support systems and
identify recruiting strategiesReta
3Session Learning OutcomesParticipants will gain insight into
how this group of students are expressing their needs in regard to
living as a vegetarian or vegan on campus.Participants will gain
insight into how college campus officials might use this limited
research as well as future research about this group of students to
better recruit and retain them.Participants will gain insight into
what sorts of policy and other barriers exist for this group of
students and how those barriers might be better addressed for
retention.Reta
4EMERGING AREAS OF RESEARCHCreating a principled and sustainable
enrollment strategyAs institutions focus on increasing 4 year
graduation rates and limiting the number of reverse transfers, it
is time to focus more on unique campus populations and meeting
those needs.Higher education emphasis on diversity and meeting the
needs of minority populationsGrowing population of students with
emerging identities at the point of transition to higher
educationReta
5Current concernsA national study by the Humane Research Council
suggests:3.2 percent of American adults self-identify as vegetarian
(1/6 of this number distinguishing themselves as
vegan)Vegetarian-leaning communities are disproportionately young,
with the highest rates found among teenagersIn 2005, Aramark
surveyed 100,000 college students to better understand food
preferences. Nearly a quarter answered finding vegan meals on
campus was important to them.
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6Getting startedWhy engage in research about students who are
enrolled in college who are vegetarian or vegan?Very little
literature in this areaBetter understanding of this particular
population to aid in recruitment and retentionMuch to learn about
this the challenges this group faces, a walk in their shoes
perspectiveReta
7LITERATURE REVIEWMinority identity means vegetarians and vegans
must overcome systemic barriers to their lifestyle among a dominant
culture ambivalent and often uneducated about followers of
plant-based diets.Due to deviance from cultural norms, vegetarians
and vegans receive much attention negative attitudes and
behaviorsIncessant questioning, teasing, and goading to sample an
animal product can result in arguments or hurt feelingsPerceived
isolationNon-vegetarian parents attempt to marginalize the choice
by insisting its a phaseZach8LITERATURE REVIEW (cont.)Gender
affects how parents and others approach vegetarians (increased
hostility from fathers of female vegetarian college
students)Vegetarian organizations provide vital support for many
who otherwise feel isolated and overwhelmed by dominant culture and
provide opportunities to socialize with like minded
individualsLifestyle success is dependent upon having strong social
networks that are supportive Zach9LITERATURE REVIEW
(cont.)Existence or absence of programming and resources designed
to support lifestyle2012 study indicated that well-planned diets
are nutritionally adequate and provide many health benefitsLeading
reason for returning to an omnivorous lifestyle is self-perceived
health concernsLack skills to quickly produce tasty vegetarian food
in their price range, experience ill health, or find their
vegetarian food choice generates major hassles with their dining
companionsGreatly benefit from educational opportunities focused on
the preparation of plant-based diets Zach10RESEARCH METHODSThis
study followed the tenets of qualitative phenomenology.Researchers
aimed at understanding the meaning of the experiences of four
vegetarians and two vegans students.Purposeful sampling of
participants, two sets of semi-structured interviews, and
transcriptions.Data analysis using open-coding and rich-thick
descriptions to identify major themes of lived
experiences.Rod11PseudonymAgeGenderClassLifestyleAmy19FemaleSophomoreVegetarianCaroline20FemaleJuniorVegetarianEllie22FemaleSeniorVeganMeredith22FemaleSeniorVeganRob19MaleSophomoreVegetarianJames21MaleSeniorVegetarianRod
12HIGHLIGHTS OF FINDINGS
Zach13Major ThemesDiningHousingProgramming ResourcesZach
14Dining Issues related to dining on-campus was the most
discussed topic in the interviews:Ellie:One size fits all is a
pretty good way to describe the way they run things, and if you try
to go against that, youre just not taken seriously.Limitations to
meal plan, upperclassmen who had kitchens in their residences were
allowed to opt for a universal plan, while underclassmen in
hall-style dorms were required to purchase a standard planZach
15Dining Cont.There is always pizza, which is great, but
sometimes I would be on a run of like four or five days in a row,
and you just find yourself eating pizza with every meal, because
there werent enough options (James)There werent good vegetarian
options. I ate a lot of carbs. Tofu was rarely available. I ate a
lot of French fries (Meredith)Moreover, one newly vegetarian
participant believed the plant-based options in the dining hall to
be so nutritionally inadequate that he continued to occasionally
consume fish in order to meet his protein needs.Food preparation
procedures were also seen as problematic by several participants
concerned with cross-contamination of their food with products they
avoided.Zach
16Dining Cont.Identifying available options was a constant
challenge. Labeling was consistently noted to be the most pressing
issueStaff were described as uneducated about alternative dietsMany
were unable to trust signage/staff adding to frustration:[Staff
would respond] Oh, let me talk to this person who can go find you
the packaging with the ingredients, and it is just such a hassle.
So, a lot of the time, I would say, Can I just read it myself? But
a lot of times, they would say, Well, we dont have the packaging
for this, or they would find the packaging, and it doesnt list the
ingredients. It is frustrating, because it is just an additional
hassle, and you have everybody just kind of looking at you, and you
are asking people questions, and they think it is really weird that
you are asking them. You know, they are not sure why you would want
to know if there is egg in the salad dressing. If you are with
people who arent supportive, you can feelI dont know, kind of
silly, excluded and isolated. (Ellie)
Zach
17Dining Cont.Some students were even too embarrassed to ask:I
would rather guess about the ingredients than go through the ordeal
getting information, the justification of your identity is
tough.Meredith also noted that labels with accurate ingredient
lists should be standard in all dining hallsBoth vegans in the
study felt forced to continue eating eggs and dairy their first
year, due to the dining hall meal plan requirement, and remembered
having a strong wish to drop the meal plan as early as
possible.Three vegetarian respondents indicated that it was
impossible to be vegan using the dining halls and resorted to
simply being vegetarianZach
18Dining Cont.Being required to patronize only certain dining
facilities was seen as inconvenient.Ostracize by occasionally
preventing them from eating with friends and classmatesJames
stated, You dont want to be that guy who is putting himself out
there and saying, Hey, can we do something different, because I
have this need that is different than yours? Similarly Amy
described feeling like the jerk who always had to figure out where
we were going to eat, because it was my dietary restriction that
was dictating what everyone else could eat.Campus events involving
food were also listed by participants as problematic (College
Coffee)Zach
19Dining Cont.As for campus events involving food, many decided
not to continue attending these food-oriented events because they
felt they were unwelcome (marginalized early)At times alternative
diets could be ordered but students felt uncomfortable making the
request if unprompted by coordinator.It occurred to me to ask for
accommodations, but I didnt want to be a pain in the butt.When
meals were received students felt they were insufficient in amount
and never included sides or dessert which other attendees of the
event would receive.Zach
20HousingI made it clear to them that this was a very serious
need of mine, and I approached them as early in the process as I
could, and I was really disappointed when they came back and said
they couldnt do anything for me.
Zach
21HousingHousing policies were understood by all participants to
negatively affect vegetarian and vegan studentsFirst and second
year live-on requirementNo access to kitchens personal or
communalParticipants who believed a kitchen was necessary to
healthfully maintain their diet felt much anxiety throughout the
housing process.No accommodations out of fear that the system could
be abusedPermission to live off-campus based on dietary
identityZach
22HousingHousing could be made better by simply having more veg
options in the dining halls, because, realistically, freshmen and
sophomores dont need to be spending a lot of time preparing their
own foods. They need to be socializing and studying and figuring
out how to transition to college and enjoy the dining hall.
(James)While some dormitories did exist with community kitchens,
respondents rarely made use of them because they were forced to
purchase the full meal plan.Zach
23HousingAll participants expressed interest in the creation of
vegetarian affinity housing Participants frequently commented on
the benefits of living with others with similar
lifestylesEspecially valuable due to the opportunities it allowed
for teaching one another recipes and cooking techniquesCould
provide a refuge from criticsAs Rob noted, Im just going to have to
deal with the teasing, because basically everyone makes jokes every
now and then, but it would be nice to have a group that I can rely
on and get away from other people when they are being jerks.
Zach
24HousingMany respondents felt having an affinity housing
community with the capacity to plan and provide programming for
vegetarians in the wider campus body would be able to help those
who feel unsupportedAs Caroline noted, once you reach critical
mass, you dont feel like you and your lifestyle choices are in
isolation.Zach
25Programming and resources
Zach
26Programming and resourcesAll respondents felt the
administration should offer programming support for the lifestyle
and advertise it as an option to prospects and new studentsNo
nutritionist or education opportunities on campus Dedicated
vegetarian organization would be beneficialConsensus among students
that programming and resources should be delivered through trained
staff in order to most effectively serve their communitiesZach
27Programming and resourcesPromoting their needs to
administration and providing objective advice on how to best
navigate aspects of campus such as dining halls and housingFurther
hoped for accessible cooking lessons and qualified nutritional
guidanceEven with these recommendations distrust remained - If the
school would actually give advice like that, it would definitely
help. But, at the same time I would also be worried they will base
the advice off our food service provider.Zach
28Programming and resourcesStudy abroad, too, was universally
identified by participants as in need of improvementNo participants
were aware of resources available from study abroad office
pertaining to diet and site selectionHow to effectively maintain
their diet abroad would have been helpful when picking a study
abroad experienceIf anyone ever reads these interviews please be
sure to tell them black beans and fruit gets very old after a
while. (Ellie)Zach
29RESEARCH LIMITATIONSSampling Procedures:ConvenienceStructure
VariabilityGeneralizabilityRod
30SUMMARY Despite increased awareness of the trend among
students towards plant-based diets, administrators and their food
service provider have provided inadequate
accommodationsParticipants felt it was impossible to maintain a
vegan diet while dependent on traditional dining hallsEven
vegetarian options were perceived as lacking in necessary
nutritional contentClear labeling and education are
neededRecommendations for the creation of affinity housingReta
31ImplicationsUniversities may benefit from a close examination
of their policies.The students were asked if they considered
transferring to another institution that they perceived supported
their dietary identity, they all stated they considered this option
given the tremendous frustrationsThe question of whether the
institution loses students for this reason is unknown, both from an
admission and a retention perspective. All participants felt the
question should be asked on summary data sheets collected after
depositReta
32Institutional ExamplesUniversity of Maryland has created a
Vegetarian Advisory Board that consists of vegetarian students,
student nutritionists, the staff dietitian, the director of dining
services, and other dining services staff to address needs and
concernsUCLA and Dartmouth held productive conversation dinners
that allowed students to voice concerns with senior staff from
university dining servicesAdministrators should be encouraged to
engage in wide ranging discussions as part of a spirit of
inclusionReta
33Post Study ActionResearch paper shared with senior
administration, dining management, and AramarkImprovements made to
staff education and labelingCreation of a centrally located kitchen
in the student center that can be reserved and classes held to
teach lifestyleRoundtable discussions with vegetarian and vegan
students to listen to their concerns Clarification of off campus
living policies pertaining to dietary identityFacilities planning
and open discussion about policyReta
34Post Study Action
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35FUTURE RESEARCHMore research is necessary to explore
recruitment strategies for this growing group of students A
longitudinal study examining the transitioning challenges from
living an omnivorous lifestyle to vegetarian/veganResearch to
determine if reverse transfers due to dietary identity exists
Identify success strategies and impact on retentionRod
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828-837. Contact INformationRodney Parks, Elon
[email protected] Evans, Elon
[email protected]
