ON CAMPUS

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No, it’s not the books, the ducks or the bad coffee that bring students to the University of Wollongong.

It’s the ability of the campus to create a positive atmosphere for ALL students. University is not only a place of learning, but a realm for living and growing as individuals and as a community.

UOW are finding new, innovative ways to accomodate for the needs of its students, seen through the various food facilities on campus that now cater for the vegan population who are flooding the grounds of UOW.

Due to their ability to cater for the needs of vegan students, UOW has been selected as the most vegan- friendly university in Australia by PETA.

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Veganism at UOW

Unibar welcomes the vegan trend through its innovative menu, offering the ‘fillet no fish’ and the 'Faux Schizzle My Schnitzel' burger

The University of Wollongong (UOW) is recognised as “Australia’s most vegan-friendly university”, according to PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals). UOW is constantly finding new ways to meet the changing dynamics of society.

Veganism is a food movement that is gaining a lot of momentum. This is clear through the changing menus in bars, restaurants, cafes and takeaway stations at the University of Wollongong. Each eatery has a unique take on veganism; Unibar sells ‘fillet no fish burgers’, Fuel offers vegan options for those who choose to make their own sandwiches and Espresso Warriors offer raw vegan cakes.

UOW has also welcomed the UOW Vegan Society; a small but passionate group who represent veganism, the rights for animals, health, and the environment. Currently, the group has 213 followers, with around 30 people attending regular meetings.

Veganism is becoming mainstream, with an enormous wave crashing onto the grounds of UOW.

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How many students are actually aware of veganism on campus, and believe veganism is becoming a trend within the realm of UOW?

Students participated in a Vox Pop offering their opinion of UOW as a vegan-friendly campus.

“I feel like it is… people are becoming more aware of different dietary needs,” a student said.

Contrastingly, other students did not notice the vegan wave.

“There is not much awareness of it around…,” another student said.

The Vegan on Campus

Danielle Moffitt enjoying one of the many vegan treasures at UOW; the Vegan Donut, available at Rush 2

“It’s the pride in knowing I don’t consume animal products, knowing that I’m not valuing my life over another animals.”

UOW student, Danielle Moffitt, became vegan a year ago after establishing the belief that it is unethical to harm living organisms.The transition from carnivore to herbivore was challenging due to a lack of vegan acknowledgement at UOW.

“I found myself having to bring food and prepare food from home to bring to [university].” Ms Moffitt said.

Over the past six months, UOW has made radical changes to accomodate for the vegan community on campus. There are food options at Unibar, Rush, and even IGA where you can go purchase “snacky options” if you are not after a large meal.

“It’s a lot easier now to be vegan on campus than what it was,” Ms Moffitt said.

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The UOW Vegan Society is regarded as having a positive impact on students becoming vegan, or who are in need of a vegan support network.

“If you are ever struggling to maintain the vegan lifestyle, it’s really good to get motivation off other people,” Ms Moffitt said.

Whilst not a member, Ms Moffitt believes in the work of the UOW Vegan Society. The society are strengthening the importance of animal wellbeing and creating more awareness towards a growing trend among the UOW student community.

The UOW Vegan Society

The creation of a new community was driven by the overshadowed voices of those who are unable to speak.

The beckoning call from one softly spoken woman at the University of Wollongong was heard.

The need to speak up for the voiceless was recognised by Priscilla Huynh and is mirrored through the UOW Vegan Society.

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UOW has been identified as the most vegan friendly campus in Australia by PETA. Their claim to this title is strengthened through the establishment of the vegan society; a group of advocates who not only eat vegan, but live a vegan lifestyle, fighting for the rights of those who do not have a voice.

The UOW Vegan Society is a symbol of the importance of not only eating vegan, but living vegan

Established in July 2018, the UOW Vegan Society aims to influence the student body through activism by showing what really goes on behind closed doors.

“There’s a lot that industries and the government want to block out and hide because if you know what really happens, you don’t want to consume it, and that means loss of profit for businesses,” says Priscilla Huynh, president of the UOW Vegan Society.

The importance of the vegan society is mirrored through their cultivating actions and the power they exert within UOW and to the general public. They recognise the need to show citizens of the Illawarra the benefits of choosing a vegan lifestyle and the many lives that they will save in the process.

The UOW Vegan Society has over 250 likes on Facebook, with fifteen active members who regularly attend meetings and get involved in the events.

The UOW Cupcake Challenge, held during orientation week of second semester, was one of the society’s successful events since its establishment.

Priscilla believes it’s important for UOW students and society to see what really happens behind closed doors.

“The cupcake challenge is where we give a free cupcake to people who watch a 4 minute video about the Australian animal agriculture industry and that helps to educate them about what’s happening in the world and what we can do to stop it.”

This innovative society continues their efforts to show society the negative implications of harming a living organism and the benefits of a vegan lifestyle.

Vegan Food on Campus

"It was through the request of our patrons and staff that made the 'Vegan Eats' a part of our menu. They wanted cruelty free items on the menu. We started with the introduction of the 'Faux Schnitzel Burger' - it was a hit with customers and prompted us to introduce more vegan snacks and meals to our menu."

- Brooke Kennedy, employee at Unibar, UOW.

Rush have introduced their delicious vegan donuts which come in an assortment of colours and flavours.

"UOW has a large vegan population so therefore, we need to cater for that market. We are doing this through our array of vegan foods offered at IGA." - Emma McLaurin, employee at IGA, UOW.

Espresso Warriors has expanded its menu to include the new Vegan Lentil Burger; a delicious lentil patty is combined with some green goodness, onion and sweet chilli sauce.

Out for Lunch is experimenting with its menu, creating new vegan options to appeal to UOW vegan students. The Vegan Massaman curry is one of these special vegan dishes.