Resolution 11-19: DINING A LA VEGAN.

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Number	11-19
Description	A greater variety of vegan dining options, as well as more allergen-friendly options, be reliably offered in the Connections Cafe and the Plaza in the University Center during dining hours
Authored by	Ann Mai Chowgene Koay Manhattan Nguyen Caroline Kessellie Aditya Dhole, Ayoade Adeumyewo, Esperanza Trujillo
Sponsored by	Arya Banait Victoria Tran Apoorva Chandra
Date Submitted	Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Date Considered	Wednesday, January 1, 1000
General Body Vote	Thursday, January 1, 1970
Committee	Student Affairs
Result	n/a
Remarks
Whereas	A number of students on campus are vegans and/or vegetarians and a number of students' religious beliefs require them to be vegetarian, or require their meat to be prepared with specific methods and as these methods are not readily available to all institutions, these students often end up looking for purely plant-based (vegan) options;
Whereas	More and more health organizations are recommending a plant-based diet as a preventative method to help reduce the risk of some of our most common diseases caused by animal products and a number of students on campus are becoming increasingly aware of the health and environmental problems associated with pesticides used in conventional food production and genetically modified organisms;
Whereas	A number of students on campus do not wish to support the mistreatment of animals on factory farms;
Whereas	A number of students on campus suffer from allergies to dairy, eggs, wheat/gluten, nuts and/or soy and all of the aforementioned students rely on food labels and ingredients to ensure they are meeting their dietary needs and restrictions and the Connection Cafe and the Food Plaza offer limited vegan and vegetarian dining options and the vegan station in the Connection Cafe is not reliably open with vegan options;
Whereas	As consumers, students have a right to know what is in their food so they can make informed choices, but the Connection Cafe and the Food Plaza have no ingredient lists/food labels readily available, nor are the employees well informed about the food they are serving and a number of students are, therefore, left with no option but to prepare and get their own food to school. This can be time consuming and inconvenient, especially during exams, and a number of students are affected by one/more of the above listed and also happen to live on campus.
Be It Further Resolved That	A greater variety of vegan dining options, as well as more allergen-friendly options, be reliably offered in the Connections Cafe and the Plaza in the University Center during dining hours, with at least one vegan entree at each meal in the Connection Cafe;
Be It Further Resolved That	The nutritional quality of the food be taken into account--whole foods high in nutritional content, such as whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables, be the basis of the dishes offered;
Be It Further Resolved That	Lists of ingredients, nutritional value information (e.g. vitamins, iron, sodium, calories, carbohydrates, sugar, and fiber content, etc.), and labels (indicating whether food is vegan, organic, gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, and/or soy-free) be reliably provided for all food items sold on campus (i.e. online, at the entrance of the Connection Cafe and if possible on the floor at stations in the connection Cafe).