by Julia Tilley

Oswego, NY– Oswego State student Genevieve Clifford recently created a Vegan Club for the campus community. Campus Dietitian Sarah Formoza assisted with the creation of the club.

“I would love [for us] vegans and vegetarians and people who just follow those lifestyles to have more of a support, because sometimes I do feel like we are lost in the midst of things,” Clifford said.       

Clifford plans for the club to be a place where students who are vegan, vegetarian, or just want to learn about veganism, can help each other and ultimately change campus to be more vegan-friendly.

“Being here at Oswego, I am so grateful for those [vegan] options, but there’s so much more we can always do,” she said.

Clifford explains that even though she could just discuss the menu with the managers at the dining halls, it’s about the bigger picture and helping to improve campus for all current and future vegans.

“If we have a club, if we have a community backing each other up and supporting each other, change can happen,” she said.

Sarah Formoza, who creates Oswego State’s menus, hopes the club can provide her with feedback and possibly serve as a test-group for future vegan menu items.

“I think it’s a great outlet for the students to connect with each other that have similar interests and similar dietary lifestyles, and they can provide support for each other; particularly maybe someone that’s new, maybe just wanting to try a vegan or vegetarian diet, they can learn from those that have been on it,” Formoza said.

The club is open to anyone interested. Meetings are held every Wednesday from 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. in the Marano Campus Center room 226.