AU beat the University of Richmond to advance out of the first round of peta2's Most Vegetarian-Friendly Colleges Competition Thursday, becoming one of the 16 colleges now in competition for a spot as one of the top ten schools with abundant vegetarian options.
AU is now facing Georgetown University in the second round of voting before it can advance to the final three rounds.
The contest allows students to vote for the college that they believe supplies the most vegetarian-friendly options, while also seeking to encourage healthy and humane dishes in schools, according to peta2's Web site. peta2 is a branch of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals organization.
The competition's focus on student votes, rather than peta2 judging the universities themselves, allows for a better picture of vegetarian-friendly schools, said Jackie Goncalves, a freshman in the School of Communication and College of Arts and Sciences.
Gonclaves, who became a vegan in order to eat healthier, said she sees the contest as important publicity for vegetarian and vegan students.
"It's a good way to draw attention to vegetarian and vegan students," she said.
Laura Lee, a freshman in CAS who decided to become a vegetarian for environmental reasons, said she thinks peta2's competition is a great idea.
"I like the idea of the [peta2] competition," she said. "Hopefully it will encourage more schools to be vegetarian-friendly. I don't see how you can't [be vegetarian-friendly] in this age of suing. ... But it's silly that more schools aren't vegetarian-friendly."
The peta2 competition praised the AU Terrace Dining Room's vegan Korean barbecue, spicy seitan and vegetarian corn cakes with fruit salsa.
"[At TDR], they label everything, even what's not in the vegan section," Goncalves said. "So it's very easy for me to eat at TDR. AU does a good job of being vegetarian-friendly."
Both Goncalves and Lee have suggested things that AU could improve. Lee suggested TDR should offer a wider variety of cooked vegetables and less dependence on tofu, while Goncalves said she would like to see more vegan desserts, such as vegan ice cream.
"I wish I could eat ice cream," Goncalves said. "Because everyone goes to eat it [at TDR] and I don't. More vegan desserts would be ideal."
Bon Appetit plans to expand its vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options in order to accommodate the dietary needs of AU students, said TDR Sous Chef Christopher Wint. The Bon Appetit team tries to supply half vegetarian and half vegan foods or half vegetarian and half gluten free foods in TDR's specialty sections.
Last year, Northwestern University won the top spot on peta2's list. Georgetown University ranked ninth for its significant increase in vegetarian and vegan options after working with Veg Advantage, a program that helps organizations provide vegetarian food, according to peta2's Web site.
Students can vote for AU online at www.peta2.com. Voting to propel AU through round two against Georgetown ends today.
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