Having chicken nuggets at the dining commons tonight? PETA Vice President Bruce Friedrich said you might want to think again.
Penn State students may be uninformed on the consequences that eating meat has for humans, animals and the environment, Friedrich said.
At 8 tonight in 112 Kern, Friedrich will represent People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) by holding an open forum titled "Meet your Meat."
Rusty Zufall, (senior-computer science), president of the Penn State Vegetarians Club said the group decided to bring Friedrich to campus because students don't know where their meat comes from.
In his speech Friedrich aims to suggest that Socrates was right when he said the unexamined life is not worth living. Friedrich will describe how eating meat is bad for the environment, causes animals to suffer and starves people in the developing world.
"Nearly one in four college students is now demanding vegan meals at school," PETA
Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman said in a press
release about the presentation. "And if anyone can hammer home the arguments in favor of a vegan diet, it's Bruce."
Zufall said he hopes the forum gets people talking more about being vegetarians and vegans and encourages more vegan friendly foods to be incorporated into other dining halls.
Chuck Gill, news coordinator
for the College of Agricultural Sciences, said the department
of dairy and agricultural sciences is concerned for animal welfare and it is taught and emphasized in the curriculum.
"Anyone who eats meat should at the very least give attention to the consequences of that decision -- know what you're supporting," said Friedrich.
The forum was intended to be a debate similar to the ones Friedrich has previously conducted at Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania, Zufall said. The club attempted to
schedule a debate for Friedrich with Terry Etherton, head of
the department of animal science, however after multiple e-mails and phone calls Etherton was
uninterested in the event, Zufall said. While Zufall said he does not expect protesters, he said everyone is invited and opposition is encouraged.
"I think it would be more productive to come inside and express your opinions," he said. "If you don't come out, your side isn't going to be represented."
