Peta2 hailed AU as the most vegetarian-friendly school in the country Monday evening. AU edged out Wesleyan University in the final round to gain the top spot in the organization's "Most Vegetarian-Friendly College" contest.
Peta2's competition, which went on throughout the month of November, allowed students to vote for the college they thought supplied the most vegetarian-friendly options, The Eagle previously reported.
AU beat out 46 other nominees, including the University of Richmond, Georgetown University, the University of Florida, SUNY Purchase College and Wesleyan University to claim the first place title.
Max O'hern, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, said that being dubbed the most vegetarian-friendly university reflects AU's school spirit and participation.
"I'm rather proud that AU won the competition," O'hern said. "It's really a satisfactory thing when the school pulls through on something like that [the peta2 contest]. I think AU deserved to win."
Danielle King, a freshman in CAS, said that while she is happy that AU won, she feels the university still has improvements it could make to its vegan options.
"I would agree that AU is the most vegetarian-friendly school," she said. "[If Bon Appétit] could go a small step further, we could be a premiere vegan institution as well."
Mount Allison University in New Brunswick, Canada, claimed the top spot in the parallel Canadian competition.
Last year, AU did not place among the top 10 vegetarian-friendly universities, according to peta2's Web site.
Peta2 is the high school and college-level branch of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals organization, according to the organization's Web site.
Article posted at 11:01 p.m. on Nov. 17.
