The Dorm Food Project (DFP) has allowed vegetarian and vegan students to find meal options in the residence halls.

The DFP has been around for many years and is an ongoing project.

Students can take part by providing feedback on vegan and vegetarian meals in the suggestion boxes at dining hall entrances and bringing the information back to the NIU vegetarian education group, VEG, said Ed Alanis, senior philosophy and psychology major and president of VEG.

VEG is part of the project and is dedicated to providing information about plant-based diets to members of the NIU and DeKalb communities, Alanis said.

Stephanie Clark, senior psychology and vice president of VEG, said she lived in the residence halls and found it difficult to find a vegetarian meal.

“I was excited that the Dining Services have tofu, but I was soon disappointed by the inconsistency with which these things were served,” she said. “It felt very frustrating trying to find something to eat, and eating pasta and marinara sauce numerous times per week becomes monotonous, let alone lacking in necessary nutrition.”

The current DFP plans include more student involvement, making a vegan option available at every meal in every residence hall and providing the ingredients in all vegetarian and vegan meals, Clark said.

Alanis said the increasing number of student vegans and vegetarians has sparked the amount of progress over the years for meals in the dorms.

“Soy milk is now offered at every dining location, something that certainly was not true just a few years ago,” he said.

Clark believes that the DFP is helping students.

“Students will be able to lead the way for a wider availability of low-fat, plant-based foods,” she said.