The food situation on campus isn’t as accessible as it could be.

Despite there being a variety of food options on the Huntington campus, there aren’t many menu items at any of Marshall’s restaurants that offer explicitly vegan items. Nowhere in either the Market or the Memorial Student Center serves any kind of fake meat or popular vegan items. 

The peanut butter and jelly sandwiches found in the markets around campus are fine; they also serve a “phantom vegetable sushi roll” that I happen to see only at the beginning of each semester. Even Starbucks’ “Impossible Breakfast Sandwich” comes prepackaged with cheese on it, which serves as cross-contamination that takes it off the table as a vegan option.

All students living in campus facilities have several meal swipes which can be used to access Harless Dining Hall and can be used for select deals at other campus restaurants; none of these deals are listed as vegan or vegetarian specials. Harless has a decent selection, though the vegan options seem like an afterthought considering the selection comes exclusively from the salad bar.

That said, the restaurants surrounding campus have a decent selection; Chipotle and the new Smoothie King have explicitly vegan menu items that allow students to forgo the sometimes complicated process of ensuring that the food served doesn’t include milk, eggs, cheese, etc. 

However, these restaurants obviously aren’t included in any of Marshall’s meal plans. Given the varying financial situations of students and the several different reasons behind following any particular diet, the salad bar at  Harless shouldn’t be the only decent option for the average student.