 "Photo: Charlie DeBoyace")
McCruelty: They're hatin' it.
In the latest phase of a campaign to oust McDonald's from the Stamp Student Union for serving unethically slaughtered chickens, university vegetarian and animal rights activists hosted the vice president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals to address the cause.
Before a gathering of 25 students in Reckord Armory last night, Bruce Friedrich spoke out against meat suppliers that provide McDonald's and other fast-food chains with animals raised in cramped cages and killed by being boiled to death.
Michelle Carr, the president and founder of vegetarian student group VegTerps, wanted to bring a PETA representative to the campus to clear up any misconceptions about their campaign and to give the campus community a chance to learn about their cause.
"We want opinions from every side of the spectrum since this is such an important issue that will effect campus life," Carr said.
The joint campaign of VegTerps and peta2, the collegiate off-shoot of PETA, began earlier this semester and the groups have already collected more than 2,000 signatures on their petition to remove McDonald's from the student union.
"They've gathered thousands of signatures from people who eat meat but don't support McDonald's, which is impressive," Friedrich said.
But Friedrich doubts that carnivores can advocate for the cause.
"If you are eating animal corpses and trying to be an activist, it's hard to believe," Friedrich said.
Friedrich said McDonald's does not belong on a college campus and called for the chain to be replaced with a restaurant like Chipotle or Johnny Rockets, which offer vegetarian options and are openly opposed to the factory-farm system.
Unlike those restaurants, McDonald's hasn't acted against the cruelty of their suppliers when they could possibly create change within the fast-food industry by taking a stand, Friedrich said.
McDonald's Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility Bob Langert said that the fast-food corporation tries to work with animal welfare experts and expects humane treatment of the animals it buys from its suppliers.
"Our goal has always been to lead the industry by bringing about improvements in animal welfare including rigorous, ongoing audits of our suppliers' facilities," Langert said.
PETA and VegTerps hope that McDonald's and other fast-food restaurants halt suppliers' cruel methods of killing animals by promoting a controlled-atmosphere option, where chickens die painlessly from lack of oxygen.
But this concept may be a pipe dream.
"It is also important to note that in the U.S., there are no large-scale chicken producers that currently use the CAS method, therefore demands to purchase chickens from this method to meet McDonald's supply needs are not viable," Langert said.
Regardless, the groups will continue their drive for signatures until they can make their case to Dining Services, which contracts some of the restaurants in the student union.
dcetrone at umdbk dot com
is a member of the 
14 comments Log in to Comment
At least attempt to know something before you say it.
1. Please provide an example of a time when McDonalds tried to encourage the humane treatment of animals.
2. No one said they were going to eat nothing but vegetables, they just said they weren't going to eat McDonalds.
3. I wasn't there but I know the Diamondback can f*** up quotes, so you should probably not even mention that animal corpse thing.
4. You sound like a dumb ass when you capitalize mathematics and then call everyone who attended this meeting "delusional". You also sound stupid when you try to categorize vegetarians as "eating nothing but vegetables" and then say it it pointless. Obviously there are other parts of the food pyramid that vegetarians eat, and it has a clear point: driving down the demand of meat.
5. Unless you actually have an example of McDonalds being humane, I suggest you stop writing comments because you are making all of us meat-eaters look like idiots.
-Why McDonalds? Because they have the most purchasing power over the industry. So if you're trying to reform an industry, it makes sense to go with the most influential.
- You call birds being scalded to death humane?
- As compassion and respect would suggest, we shout do unto others ...
- People have already commented to say that the PETA dude is misquoted. Do you really think he'd tell people that stuff? I'm expect a correction very soon. If you have a problem with PETA you should've taken the opportunity to say it to their face, not post like some lurker online.
- By the way, the McDonald's campaign isn't about going vegetarian, it's about exactly what you're saying people should focus on!Thanks for the "common sense"
- Really, why McDonalds? What did they do to you. There are ~8 other restaurants in stamp that have meat, and I'm sure all of it was killed in a depressing slaughterhouse.
- McDonalds has actually made significant efforts as a leading buyer of meat to encourage humane treatment of animals.
- As Mathematics clearly states below, thank goodness it's only 25 poor, delusional people we're talking about.
- Way to go students, way to bring a PETA leader to campus so he could dis a large fraction of those who signed your cute little petition. No way McDonalds will be going now. It's a shame too, I wouldn't mind it being replaced with a Chipotle as suggested.
- By the way, eating nothing but vegetables isn't how humans were meant to live. It's unhealthy, unappetizing, pointless, and annoying. If you want animals treated better, protest actual unethical treatment, don't just say it's wrong to eat meat.
You must be logged in to comment on an article. Not already a member? Register now