<p>Hi everyone, I’m writing from New England and have never been to Alabama. Would my non-religious, somewhat liberal daughter be comfortable on this campus? How tolerant is it? How diverse, both religiously, politically, economically, and racially?</p>
<p>Also, she is a vegetarian and might become a vegan. Are there options for her beyond salad in the cafeterias? She spent a summer at UNC-Charlotte and had a very hard time finding stuff to eat. It was plain pasta and salad every day. Thanks for any reports. I know my questions are very stereotyping however there are so many appealing things about UA and I want to be prepared for her questions when I ask her to apply. Again, thanks.</p>
<p>Since many, many college women today are vegans or vegetarians, there are options. I cant say that there are a ton of options because I dont know personally…neither of my kids are vegans/vegetarians. Hopefully some here that know can chime in. </p>
<p>As for religion…there are a wide variety of believers and non-believers on campus. I think there is an atheist club. Students dont really care either way. </p>
<p>As for politics…Bama is rather moderate. The campus isnt very political at all. The area is also rather moderate, it has a Democrat congressperson. </p>
<p>"“How diverse, both religiously, politically, economically, and racially?”"</p>
<p>When you ask diversity religiously, do you mean are there lots of different religions present? yes, there.</p>
<p>economically? I dont know if there are reports about student family incomes. There are Pell students, but I dont know the number. </p>
<p>Racially? The school is about 13% African American. If you are wondering if it is a lily-white campus, it is not. </p>
<p>Being in the South, Alabama is of course predominantly religious and conservative. However, like almost any college, UA has students from all backgrounds. There are several clubs for both liberal and secular students. In recent years, nearly half the students are from out-of-state. Racially, the breakdown for the university is 83% Caucasian, 12% African-American, 3% Hispanic, 2% Asian-American. For the state, 73% Caucasian (2% Hispanic), 26% African-American, and >1% Asian-American. I can’t say for certain how economically diverse UA is, but I would say you’ll find a good mix of income levels. UA’s excellent scholarships make it easier for lower-income students to attend. There are both vegetarian and vegan options on campus, so that shouldn’t be an issue. If you go to the Bama Dining site, you should be able to find their current menus to give you an idea of their options.</p>
<p>Thank you both for your replies. :)</p>
<p>You just described my daughter to a T (add 3 tattoos and a nose ring). She is now a senior, and Alabama is the best thing that has ever happened to her. She has remained true to herself, but found a voice and a confidence she never had even as a successful and incredibly driven high school student and athlete. By the way, despite her initial views that sororities were evil, she actually joined one that was colonizing her freshman year. We have just now had a very interesting conversation about one of her sisters (a very close friend) who posted a Buzzfeed article to Facebook with some political/life views that my DD found ridiculous. Your DD is going to encounter kids who have very different beliefs from her. She will also find people who share very similar beliefs. I believe that she will learn that her circle of friends can widen and include both types of people, which in my opinion is one of the most important lessons you can learn in a college setting. </p>
<p>WhitLo, I so thoroughly agree. Thanks for the vote of confidence.</p>
This is an old thread, but I would say - no - don’t risk it. The south is the south, even though there might be small enclaves of liberal minded people around large college campuses, you are still in the south. Stray even a mile away and you will encounter, well, the south. We have been in the south for too long and are ready to leave it. My DD is running away and not looking back. Stay in the northeast. Just my 2 cents.
Better not to have reinvigorated this thread and perpetuated stereotypes yet once again, but since you did …
From my perspective, as a California native, there is not much difference between the north and the south. Both, in general, hold on to the traditions of exclusivity, cliques, who’s-your-father. where’d-you-get-your-money kind of thinking. Out in California, the true Californians don’t care where you came from. Of course, they don’t miss you when you are gone either. People come, people go. Change is the only constant in California. So kudos to both the North and the South for holding on to those traditions of stable communities, nosy neighbors, and gossip fiends. Sometimes I get sick of the gossip in my Southern community, but if I drove off into one the retaining ponds on the side of the freeway, people would miss me. In California, not so much.
Apparently everybody has their own regional biases that they enjoy upholding!
Foreign Asian student’s opinion here.
UA is nothing like what you would expect from South in general. More than half are from OOS thanks to great scholarship, and people are overall moderate in politics. Heck, its even more liberal than W&L university which is relatively north to UA.
60 per cent of last year’s freshman class was from oos.
Do they have a lot of options for vegan food???
Yes 
Here is one day’s menu from just one of the dining halls. Browse around and you can see other dining halls’ menus as well. They even have the Vegetarian & Vegan menu items marked.
@beadymom Thank you so much for posting that for me.
This is not a good school for vegans. I looked through three days of menus at all of the cafeterias. There is hardly anything for my D to eat at any meal except oatmeal, a plain baked potato, the salad bar, and once a week, a cookie. And this would be day in, day out. 
This is what I was afraid of. We’ll probably have to cross this school off our list for this reason.
An example of a good vegan menu is here, if you’re curious. http://www.bates.edu/dining/menu/
See the tremendous difference?
What does gluten friendly on that menu mean?
I believe it means that the item itself is made with gluten-free ingredients, however there could be traces of gluten in it from cross contamination in some way, for instance, if it’s presented in the same area as, say, bread, a smudge of flour could have gotten into it somehow. It could also mean that it was cooked in a pot that once cooked some spaghetti or something. To label “gluten free,” I believe you have to have a dedicated gluten free kitchen, including pots, pans, counters, knives, etc., and I also believe the food must be kept completely separate from other food, similar to organic. If the organic apples are sitting next to the conventional apples in your grocery store, by law they are no longer organic. They are even required to store them in different areas of the back room to prevent contamination. So changing “gluten free” to “gluten friendly” is basically a restaurant’s way of covering its butt.
Others have it pretty accurate. Students come from diverse backgrounds, especially with all the out-of-state, so it’s pretty moderate politically/socially/economically. Some people drive 2015 Mercedes, some drive 1982 Beatermobiles and everything in between.
Food situation, I really don’t know. I’d say when in doubt pack a sandwhich, but I guess that wouldn’t apply?
When we visited UA for orientation, I ate at Lakeside with DS. They had several vegetarian selections on one bar, an eggplant casserole, a garlic tomato pasta, and breaded zucchini are three I specifically remember. I like my food, I remember these things