Staff editorial: Food for thought

With the passage of the 18th Amendment on Jan. 16, 1919, the temperance movement achieved its main goal: prohibiting the sale, manufacture and transportation of alcohol in the United States.

The result? Alcohol consumption — not to mention organized crime — skyrocketed. Young people continue to engage in rampant marijuana use despite years of being told to "Just Say No," largely due to its appeal as a forbidden pleasure. When a grandstanding ignoramus of a state senator tries to ban public screenings of pornography on university campuses, students organize protest screenings.

Or more simply stated, Americans don't like being told what to do, but we can be cajoled. This state has one of the lowest rates of cigarette smoking partly due to a relatively high $2-a-pack cigarette tax. Highway tolls decrease traffic on major roadways.

So it's not surprising a campaign led by VegTerps, a university vegan and vegetarian group, to boot McDonald's out of Stamp Student Union has been met with outrage. The Stamp Advisory Board decided Monday that VegTerps failed to demonstrate a strong enough student demand to end the student union's contract with McDonald's. Even with more than 2,200 signatures collected earlier this semester against the fast-food giant, there have been numerous reports of students stating they were deceived into signing the petition because they were told it was for protesting animal cruelty, not closing the  McDonald's in Stamp.

The reaction of many students and this editorial board shouldn't come as a shock to VegTerps. When a group of people imposes its morals on a different group, anger is a common reaction. McDonald's by no means provides a healthy diet, and its practices toward animals are not humane. But thousands still vote to keep Mickey D's on the campus with their wallets each day.

VegTerps can take the advisory board's advice to continue waging its campaign by raising awareness to decrease the number of customers who fork over money for McNuggets each day, and they should. If VegTerps wants to promote awareness of McDonald's practices or the benefits of a meatless diet, it should inform students, not impose its values.

A prime example of this strategy is Dining Services' new campaign to encourage students to eat healthier. "Meatless Mondays" will begin next semester and provide students with more vegetarian options. Anyone who has frequented the dining halls is aware that finding a meal without a chunk of meat in it can be quite a task. And even with the solid links between red meat and health complications, most students still pick burgers over wilting salads.

More vegetarian meal options will give students a choice — unlike what VegTerps has argued for with the elimination of McDonald's. As Dining Services Director Colleen Wright-Riva said, telling thousands of people what they shouldn't eat isn't the right approach.

But Dining Services could go even further with its campaign for healthy eating habits. There could be days when drinks other than soda are discounted or the flat fee charged for value meals could be discounted if students decide not to get dessert.

Dining Services has the power to persuade students through more options and better deals that a pasta dish may be a better choice than a cheeseburger. On the other hand, VegTerps, in an attempt to reach the same goal, has taken the route of waging war on a popular restaurant and those who frequent it.

Perhaps the Stamp Advisory Board provided a wake-up call to VegTerps that belligerently trying to restrict the freedom of students will not lead to success. However, Dining Services' attempt to raise awareness and provide new options has the ability to encourage healthier hearts and minds.