USD Now Providing Oat Milk Free-of-Charge

Design Lab student efforts result in policy change throughout campus

Do you prefer oat milk in your morning latte? Thanks to a recent policy change, the popular milk alternative is now available without cost at the University of San Diego (USD). 

In an effort to become more inclusive and sustainable, the university earlier this year agreed to begin providing oat milk for no additional cost at all beverage locations across campus. Previously, opting for oat milk, a common milk alternative, was an additional 75-cents.

“We’ve been working on this for two years and are super excited we will now be able to offer people who have a particular dietary restriction or dietary needs something without having them pay for it,” said Director of Social Change and Student Engagement Juan Carlos Rivas, PhD. “It’s an important first step and a great example of how small details on campus help us become more inclusive and welcoming in our community.” 

Recognizing the significant impact of dairy-related dietary restrictions on people of color, particularly within the Hispanic and Latin communities, it is essential for the university as a Hispanic Serving Institution to address these needs, Rivas said. By implementing seemingly small changes, such as offering alternative food options, the university can better serve its diverse student population, ensuring an inclusive and considerate environment for all, including those with lactose intolerance or dairy allergies.

The initiative originated from a winning concept during the Changemaker Challenge in 2021 and was further developed through the first iteration of the Changemaker Hub’s Design Lab by students Mackenzie Guy and Jewlz Humphrey. Grant Carey joined the team last year. The Design Lab provides the space, tools and methodologies to co-create campus transformation by bringing together campus stakeholders to use a human-centered design approach to ideate and identify solutions to social justice challenges in our community.

“Design thinking is a process that is not linear and not static,” said Rivas. “The process itself asks us to question our assumptions, to always remain curious about the problem and evolve and change over time.” 

Guy, Humphrey and Carey conducted research and gathered general data around milk choice on campus. During spring semester in 2023, they launched their first pilot — offering oat milk as the default choice at Aromas, the popular coffee shop located in Maher Hall. 

Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with more than 500 people signing a petition to make the change permanent. Of the survey respondents, more than 40 percent said they had a dietary restriction limiting their milk choices. 

Last spring, there was a second pilot, this time a semester long, to determine financial impacts on the university. All research was shared with auxiliary services to decide on any changes. 

“I’m super proud of the students who have worked on this for the past two years,” Rivas said. “The number of students that collaborated on this project came from many different disciplines from sociology to environmental sciences, to engineering. It’s been a really cool experience to watch these students come together to collaborate with different skills and mindsets.” 

The Design Lab has become a campus incubator for campus transformation, Rivas said, and while transformation takes time, it’s giving students real life experience where they can apply their learning in the classroom for the benefit of their fellow Toreros. 

The original goal of the oat milk initiative was to make the milk alternative the default option throughout campus, and that remains the focus. Data will continue during the next two years and will be shared with Auxiliary Services for review. 

“We're really grateful for the support of the auxiliary services team to not only listen to student requests and students' insight, but also to consider something new.” 

— Story by Matthew Piechalak