Contact VegIU

We’d love to help you learn about yummy things to eat or partner on an event. You can contact us at vegiu@indiana.edu,Veg IU on Facebook, or Veg IU on Twitter. And you can join our e-mail list by e-mailing us!

Here's a little about our 2012-2013 officer team.

President - Mimi Zakem

Hi, I'm Mimi and I am the president of VegIU! I decided to stop eating all meat besides fish during my sophomore year of high school because of an environmental science class I was in. I learned about the disastrous environmental impacts of the meat industry and got a glimpse of the cruelty as well. As soon as I came to IU, I stopped eating fish and joined VegIU. As I learned more about other animal-based industries besides the meat industry and more about the actual functioning of the USDA I decided I wanted to try living a vegan lifestyle. I had previously thought all vegans were insane, but now I had so many reasons. At first I stopped drinking milk and eating cheese and with help from the group, was able to make the full transition (officially decided on my birthday in October!). I learned things that made me want to change my life from VegIU and through my continued participation in the group I learned how to maintain a vegan lifestyle in a healthy and even FUN and DELICIOUS way! I am dedicated to making this group as open, educational, and supportive for members as it has been for me. If you can't tell, I love this group!

Social Media Manager - Emily Laura Francis Gall

My name is Emily Gall, I am co-president of VegIU, and I have been a vegetarian since 2005. My mom and I became vegetarians at the same time when we researched in depth how animals were slaughtered and processed into meat. We were horrified by the cruel conditions in which the animals were raised and treated. Becoming a vegetarian was one of the best decisions I have ever made! After becoming a vegetarian (along with a new year's resolution of trying more new foods) I quickly added more fruits and vegetables into my diet. I also began to start up an exercise regimen. Now I am as healthy as can be! It also pleases me to know that I am not contributing to the slaughter of many innocent animals. Here at VegIU we welcome people with many different beliefs from all walks of life. We love food and comradery!

Treasurer - Jennie Plasterer

I went vegetarian in 1997 for ethical reasons. I was pretty young at the time, so when it suddenly hit me that the lump of food on my plate used to be a living creature, I was pretty upset. I stopped eating meat the same day, and started reading any animal welfare articles I could get my hands on. I’ve always loved animals, and my lucky parents get to take care of my large amount of stray cats, dogs, chickens, and various other amazing animals while I’m in college! I knew that I would eventually go vegan, and I started cutting down on dairy and egg products shortly afterwards, but I was not a strict vegan until 2009. I love cooking and baking and experimenting with new ingredients.

Outreach Director - Aubree Allen

Around Thanksgiving 2003 I realized that I didn't agree with killing animals for food. However, it took me over 7 years after that to fully recognize the shortcomings of the dairy industry and the ways in which I could improve the living conditions for factory farmed animals. How you spend your money makes a difference! And if you decide to spend your money on the delicious food at my work (also known as Collins Dining Room), don’t be afraid to say hi to me!

Officer-At-Large - Thomas Fricktion

When I first discovered there was a veg organization on campus, I knew I had to be involved. I've been working with VegIU ever since and I'm happy to say I've met a lot of great people and had a lot of fun with the group. I went vegetarian right before starting 7th grade, largely because my older sister helped me to see the connection between the animals I saw in fields and the hunks of meat I saw on my dinner plate. As soon as that clicked in my head, I knew that I couldn't continue to eat meat. The older I got the more I began to realize how many connections existed between the meat industry and others like the egg and dairy industries. After a screening of the film Earthlings solidified that connection for me, I went vegan in the Fall of 2007 and haven't looked back since.

Webmaster - Illya Moskvin

I'm not actually a VegIU officer, but since May 2012, I've been helping out with the website as much as time allows (not enough). I'm planning to move us to a WordPress-based framework by March 2013. As a programmer, I subsist on a diet of coffee and sleepless nights. Contact: imoskvin@indiana.edu