S23 and D26 are both Celiac and it is/was one of the things we were keen on understanding when doing college tours. Many schools have “allergen” area’s where the 7 most common… etc… but what if the celiac really like peanuts or vice versa. S23 is at Tulane and says that the food is incredibly repetitive but has been 100% “safe”. Obviously without going out back you don’t know what the kitchen staff is doing to minimize cross-contamination, etc but that’s no different than a restaurant or even eating at family holidays. Tulane - and several other schools we toured - had a locked room accessible by the students ID that had contained GF food items and several had toasters, waffle makers, etc. It gives the student the option to grab an Udi’s hamburger bun and go get a burger from that station or toast up a GF Bagel or grab some GF snack bars.
D26 is in the process of making her decision now and we have an appointment with the dietician at UMaine on Monday to discuss how they structure their cafeteria for kids with dietary issues. The tour was not a positive experience so we’ll see how that goes. If poor she’ll end up at a SUNY which was a more positive experience.
It’s an adjustment since up to the point of leaving for school the parents are largely the ones advocating for them in restaurants (or doing the research on where to go to eat with the best options). The students need to lean more on advocating for themselves.
UMass had great Celiac safe options. At least one full station dedicated to it and all the other stations well labeled.
As @compmom points out, it’s not an allergy. We kind of feel fortunate it’s not. Although the kids would get sick (D26 will have a 2 hour session of throwing up!) it’s not like an allergy where they need to carry an epi-pen and/or potentially end up in the hospital.