STORY BY
Jenna Minser
For this week’s Mosaic Goes Clubbing we’re featuring Vegan Voices! This organization focuses on promoting vegan and vegetarian eating on campus through educational and social events. We had the opportunity to sit down with the President and Vice President, Mason Serna and Julia Alaimo, to talk about how they got involved with Vegan Voices, and why it’s such an important organization on campus.
“I went vegan about three weeks after graduating high school, so… once I decided where I wanted to go to college, I wanted to check: is there a vegan club? If so, I definitely wanted to be a part of it.” Serna explained. Alaimo had a similar experience: “When I got to college, I was really looking for a community of people who were on the same page as I was [with being vegan]. I found [Vegan Voices], and I immediately wanted to get involved with it.”
Serna stressed the role of the club as educators on campus, “My mission in Vegan Voices is not only to create a community for vegans and vegetarians that they have to feel comfortable in, but also just to inform the general public here of students and faculty alike. I want to bring awareness that veganism and vegetarianism is better for your health, but it’s also more sustainable for the environment, and you’re doing the animals a big favor.”
When asked what small changes students and faculty could make to their diet without going fully vegan or vegetarian, Alaimo said, “A big thing is just being aware of the choices that you’re making and their effect on animals, the environment, everything. The world as we know it can depend on these little decisions, and it’s important that people understand that.”
To get involved or to find out more about Vegan Voices and their mission, reach out to them via email (uavegans@gmail.com) and social media (@uavegans) or find them at one of their many tabling events throughout the semester. 
