Choosing to be a vegetarian at Iowa State may be more difficult than it sounds.

A disbanded vegetarian club and limited food service options can be major roadblocks to a student who wants to eat healthy meals minus the meat.

Jean Opsomer, former adviser for Iowa State’s now-disbanded vegetarian club, said although there are a variety of places to eat on campus, most of them are not prepared to serve the vegetarian student.

“The Memorial Union food court is a joke,” said Opsomer, associate professor of statistics.

The club was designed two years ago to give people who like to eat vegetarian foods a chance to meet. It provided the opportunity to share recipes, discuss vegetarian issues and increase vegetarian food options on campus. Opsomer said the club had a good following in the beginning.

“We would have as many as 50 people showing up at our first few meetings,” he said.

But the club faced several obstacles that led to its disbanding, Opsomer said. Members wanted to get together to eat, but the Memorial Union’s strict rules about outside food made it difficult to find a place to accommodate everyone.

“Logistically, it just became very difficult to get people together to eat,” he said.

Opsomer said the club allowed students to feel they were not alone in their dietary preferences. They needed the club and the alternatives it provided to the lack of dining choices that were available through the university.

“Students were getting sick of eating at that salad bar, and always going out to restaurants gets expensive,” he said.

But menu complaints were not the only obstacle the vegetarian group had to overcome, Opsomer said. A conflict between students wanting to impress animal rights and those choosing vegetarianism for heath reasons may have led to the decline in attendance and participation, he said.

Two students tried to get the club up and running last year, Opsomer said, but their efforts were unsuccessful.

Kate Bruns, residence hall communication specialist, said ISU dining services offer a vegetarian entree option at each of the residence hall dining centers.

“Oak-Elm is where we recommend vegetarians go,” Bruns said.

“They provide the most selections.”

Seth Giddens, Oak-Elm dining service manager, said Oak-Elm offers both a hot and cold vegetarian entree on the menu for most meals.

“Many times we will serve a veggie wrap for a main entree,” he said.

“We really do try to fit their needs as best we can.”

Giddens also said they try to accommodate students as much as possible.

“If they make a request for something we don’t have planned, we see if we can work it in for them,” he said.

Seth Bartel, senior in physics, said he ate at Oak-Elm while he lived in the residence halls.

“It isn’t spectacular, but they provide you with enough options,” he said, “and if the vegetarian option doesn’t look appealing, then there is always the salad bar. Or you could make some waffles.”