Students protest animal testing

By AMY OAKES
Collegian Staff Writer

It's not quite Easter, but a big white rabbit bearing gifts visited the University Friday afternoon.

Standing outside Willard Building, members of the Penn State Alliance for Animal Rights handed out leaflets and "cruelty-free" Persona razors. The demonstration was against Gillette, which uses animal testing in its laboratories. The alliance sponsored the event.

The main attraction was the rabbit that gave out razors and directed people to an information table. Kristina Sullivan (junior-wildlife and fisheries science) said it was the "bunny" that attracted her to the crowded table.

"I care a lot about animals too," Sullivan said, adding that after today, she will probably not use Gillette products.

After collecting a razor and several informational brochures, Rachel Semple (junior-human development and family studies) said it was important for people to realize what Gillette is doing. "I hate them," she said.

Along with the brochures, stickers and posters sitting on the table, there was a small green trash can half full of several popular Gillette products, such as shaving cream and razors. Students were encouraged to bring their Gillette products and throw them away.

The demonstration was part of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals' national campaign against Gillette products. In April 1994, PETA discovered that Gillette performed animal testing in its laboratories, using animals for testing different substances. One experiment involved placing drops of a test substance into a rabbit's eyes.

Danielle Frizzi, a public relations representative for Gillette, said people are not getting both sides of the story.

"PETA has a lot of misinformation," she said.

Frizzi said PETA has been conducting different campaigns against Gillette for almost 10 years. "It's all publicity stunts,"she said.

Frizzi said it is wrong for PETA to compare Gillette to other cosmetics companies because it also produces drug products that require testing.

"It would be a violation of the law not to test on animals for some products," she said. Federal law prohibits exposing a new drug to humans before it has been tested on animals, Frizzi said.

Peter Wood, a grass-roots coordinator for PETA, said its campaign against Gillette is aimed at making the public realize the cruelties of animal testing. PETA has campaigned outside Gillette distribution centers and at public locations all over the United States.

"We chose Penn State because of the large number of students. They are the consumers of tomorrow," Wood said.

Heidi Vischer, president of the Penn State Alliance for Animal Rights, said she used her contacts at PETA to become involved in its national campaign.

Vischer said Gillette had promised PETA to stop animal testing but it has actually increased the number of animals used in laboratories.

"I think a lot of people feel we need animal testing, but we really don't," she said.

Vischer said she plans to send Gillette its products that students "throw out."

"We're going to send these back and say that we like the products but we can't keep buying them because of the animal testing. We don't want to sound obnoxious, we want to be nice about it," she said.