Allergy-Friendly Boston University Campus Guide
Each semester at Boston University, the nutrition center met with each student with dietary restrictions to figure out meal plans and safe options.Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Allergy-Friendly Campus Guide: Brandeis University
The dining hall at Brandeis University, worked hard with me to try to accommodate my allergies. They have a top eight free section in each dining hall that has hot meal options, gluten free breads, a dedicated microwave, toaster, allergy safe brownies, cookies, etc. With my long list of allergies they were not able to accommodate everything. I was able to easily get housing accommodations to have my own kitchen in a suite with three friends who all agreed to avoid my allergens. Location: Waltham, Massachusetts
Allergy-Friendly Campus Guide: Central Michigan University
Central Michigan University has a Pure Eats section in each dining hall that is free from the top 8 allergens, and they serve it themselves to avoid cross contamination. There are gluten free sections as well, including a dedicated waffle machine! They have an app that lists every item on the menu and it’s ingredients! I will say that sometimes the ingredients have been vague (ex. “sugar cookie dough”) but for the most part I have a wide variety of safe eating options! Location: Mount Pleasant, Michigan
Allergy-Friendly Campus Guide: College of William and Mary
As a sophomore at William and Mary, I have been pleased with the College’s allergy policy and protocol. Menus are clearly labeled and 2/3 of the dining halls on campus have allergy-friendly “Simple Servings” stations and are completely nut-free facilities. The school nutritionist is a fabulous resource and a wealth of information. There is always room to grow, but I feel safe eating on campus with a food allergy. Location: Williamsburg, Virginia
Campus Guide: Colorado College
I would 100% recommend Colorado College to someone with food allergies. Get in touch with disability services, food services or a nutritionist at the school to work out a plan so you can use the dining halls with ease. Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado
Allergy-Friendly DePaul University Campus Guide
I am a current student at DePaul University and even though I have never eaten in the food hall, DePaul is very considerate when it comes to food safety. At all events they have clear signage on each ingredient. DePaul does a great job with being accommodating to any restriction or allergy. Don’t hesitate to ask someone! They have been a fantastic fit for me, socially, academically, and with everything from A to Z. DePaul does not have a student health insurance plan, which is disappointing.
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Campus Guide: DePauw University
Make yourself aware of your options and what's available on Depauw's campus. Asking those who work in the cafeteria can be extremely helpful if you're unsure if they cater to your allergy - I didn't find out we had dairy-free milk until nearly the end of first semester! Location: Greencastle, Indiana
Allergy-Friendly Duke University Campus Guide
Duke is an almost completely nut free campus with everything labeled very clearly. Any questions can be directed to specifically designated people wearing hats that are trained to answer any questions about allergies. Staff will also change gloves for anyone with allergies.Location: Durham, North Carolina
Allergy-Friendly Elon University Guide
As freshman at Elon University, my mom and I went through extensive research on which school would be the best to accommodate my allergies. After many meetings with the chefs and nutritionists at Elon, we figured out a plan to keep me safe. Then during the first day of orientation, the day after my mom left me at school, I had an allergic reaction. Following this reaction, the school put in place a plan for me that I would only get my meals from 3 chefs that I had a group chat with. I requested what I wanted, whenever I wanted. This was not something normal Elon does for students, but after they nearly killed me, that’s what they saw as best fit.
The next school year, there was a completely vegan cafe in one of the dining halls. Whenever I ate there, I always had to make sure all the stuff was prepped in its own space. I did not have a reaction once! Now that I am a junior, I don’t have a meal plan but ironically, they got rid of the completely vegan cafe. They do, however, have a top allergen free cafe in one of the dining halls. In my past years, the chefs advised me not to eat there because of possible cross contamination. This year whenever I go with my friends, I either make sure it was prepped individually, or ask them if they can go prep me something individually in a safe dairy-free zone.
Location: Elon, North Carolina
Allergy-Friendly Campus Guide: Elon University
Elon University had been my dream school for a few years, but when I was finally accepted into one of their BFA Programs, we realized that getting to attend this might actually become a real possibility. All that was left was to work out accommodations for my food allergies. It turns out that there were hardly any preparations necessary because this school has SO many established food allergy resources. First of all, the school has a dining hall section that is COMPLETELY allergy friendly. Yes, that’s right. It is free of the top 8 allergens with no cross contamination. They also have my favorite allergy friendly brands as “grab and go” snack items in the different dining halls. They also have extensive amounts of allergy friendly food items in each of the stores on campus. All of these things have made my first year and a half at Elon go as smoothly as possible and have kept my family, who lives 12 hours away, at ease. I am forever grateful for all of their efforts, and hope that others will be encouraged by this information because attending a university far from home with multiple life threatening food allergies IS possible! Location: Elon, North Carolina
