Ferris State University’s Dining Services are ask­ing stu­dents to par­tic­i­pate in pro­vid­ing new vegan and veg­e­tar­ian alter­na­tives on campus.

Hoping to increase the vari­ety of meals offered to stu­dents, Dining Services, along with the Campus Affairs Committee of Student Government, are gath­er­ing stu­dents to par­tic­i­pate in research­ing new dietary options. The stu­dents, com­posed of both veg­e­tar­i­ans and veg­ans, will dis­cuss a vari­ety of top­ics con­cern­ing cam­pus din­ing such as pre­ferred loca­tions and desired menu choices.

Students will also meet reg­u­larly with Dining Services rep­re­sen­ta­tives to eval­u­ate the nutri­tional needs of the cam­pus’ din­ing halls. Lori Helmer, direc­tor of Dining Services, believes the stu­dent feed­back will pro­mote both new and cur­rent menu items.

“We are hop­ing to find ways to do a more effec­tive job of mar­ket­ing the vegan and veg­e­tar­ian prod­ucts that are cur­rently on the menu,” said Helmer.

Currently, din­ing loca­tions such as Westview and Center Ice have included veg­e­tar­ian menu items such as veg­gie burg­ers and veg­e­tar­ian que­sadil­las. Ferris’ Rock Café has also incor­po­rated the use of hum­mus and tofu to pro­vide veg­e­tar­ian and vegan stu­dents with bal­anced meal choices.

Kevin Tran, oper­a­tions and sup­ply man­age­ment sopho­more, agrees that allow­ing stu­dents to incor­po­rate their input in Ferris’ din­ing pro­gram is important.

“I think it will be great for veg­e­tar­ian stu­dents on cam­pus to be given more vari­ety,” said Tran.

Tran feels that by pro­vid­ing alter­na­tives to meat, the din­ing halls will also influ­ence a health­ier diet for both vegan and veg­e­tar­ian stu­dents on campus.

Sophomore Greg Priester views the idea as being a great way to increase the selec­tion of veg­e­tar­ian options in the din­ing halls. As well as pro­vid­ing a voice on cam­pus, he also sees stu­dent par­tic­i­pa­tion as an oppor­tu­nity to bet­ter the cur­rent menu choices.

“I think it is good for both stu­dents and fac­ulty to be involved. Dining ser­vices will be able to pro­duce a larger selec­tion of veg­e­tar­ian foods that are stu­dent approved,” said Priester.

Ferris’ reg­is­tered dietit­ian Brenda Walton feels that eval­u­at­ing the stu­dents’ responses will help decide what menu choices will ben­e­fit the cam­pus’ din­ing options.

“A major aspect of veg­e­tar­i­an­ism is about com­bin­ing foods. I believe it will open health­ier options for stu­dents inter­ested in try­ing new things,” stated Walton.

For infor­ma­tion on join­ing Dining Services and the Campus Affairs Committee’s veg­e­tar­ian and vegan research group, con­tact Lori Helmer at 231−591−3754.