Meatless Alternative Wins Big, A CHUL Referendum Shows

The undergraduate student body voted overwhelmingly last week in favor of instituting a meatless alternative at every meal.

The vote came in response to a Committee on Houses and Undergraduate Life referendum that allowed students three choices on meatless meals.

Besides the option that won the referendum, students could also vote for a number of meatless days every week or for red meat at every meal.

About 60 per cent of the students on board voted on the referendum. Stewart Thomsen, head of the CHUL food services subcommittee, said in releasing the results last night.

"We are very pleased with the results, which we think show a clear student mandate for the meatless alternative plan," Thomsen said.

The Food Services Department will "make every effort" to follow the students' vote. Frank J. Weissbecker, director of Food Services, said last night.

The new meatless plan, which will go into effect after spring vacation, will replace the present experimental system of two totally meatless days every week.

The CHUL recommended the inclusion of fish and poultry among the new meatless alternatives, as well as experimentation with new meatless dishes.

Kay S. Lacoss, University dietician, said last night that she is worried about the increasing monotony in food that students have complained about since meatless days were instituted last month, and about the wishes of the students who did not vote.

Adams, Eliot and Kirkland Houses and the Yard voted in the referendum for a return to a meal plan without meatless days, but the other Houses supported the meatless alternative plan.

The meatless alternative plan won 45 per cent of the vote on the referendum, with a meatless days getting 29 per cent and a return to the previous menu 26 per cent.

Runoff

In a simulated runoff count, where the second choice votes of the losing options were tallied, meatless alternatives won 61 per cent of the vote and meatless days 31 per cent.

Of the 83 per cent of students voting who selected some option of meatless alternative plan, 45 per cent voted that it should be offered every day and 38 per cent voted for the plan on some days.

The CHUL also asked its Food Services subcommittee to look at suggestions that students wrote on their questionnaires, and monitor the plan in the spring in order to make further recommendation and modifications.

The CHUL first voted to implement meatless days in response to a proposal from Jean Mayor, professor of Nutrition. MEATLESS DAYS REFERENDUM First Choice  No.  % Previous Menu  929  27.5 Meatless Days  998  29.5 Meatless Alternatives  1442  42.6 No Choice  14  0.4 Total  3383  100