Writers,
This coverage of the cage-free campaign appeared in today's Daily.
Although some of the quotes are annoying, like Jacquie Jacob saying
we're trying to make animal products so expensive that people will have
to be vegetarian, we probably won't get a piece in replying to this all.
If you have time, a note of thanks to letters@mndaily.com saying you're
happy about the coverage of the issue would be good. It might encourage
more stories as CAA pushes forward with this campaign.
Jason
----
http://www.mndaily.com/articles/2006/03/21/67608
March 21, 2006
Bid for cage-free eggs in residence halls stalled
The Residence Hall Association said it is too expensive to make the change.
By JP Leider
1or some, one egg is as good as another. But for others, an egg is only
as good as its source.
In past months, Compassionate Action for Animals, among other
organizations, has advocated for University Dining Services to
transition to cage-free eggs, in which egg products are produced in
farms without battery cages.
Late last month, the effort stalled when the Residence Hall Association
approved a resolution opposing a transition to cage-free eggs in
residence dining halls.
UDS Director Larry Weger said UDS is taking into account recommendations
and resolutions from various groups, and is pursuing options inside the
University.
?At this point, the primary focus is to continue our work with the
University?s agricultural department to affect the utilization the eggs
produced on campus,? he said.
However, Weger said, no options have been ruled out, although UDS does
recognize Residence Hall Association?s stated desire for program
improvements rather than a transition to cage-free eggs.
At a recent UDS advisory board meeting, in which students approved a
recommendation to transition to cage-free eggs, UDS officials said
students would see a 0.4 percent increase in their meal plan costs,
along with other increases.
Since the association?s decision to oppose cage-free eggs in residence
halls, Compassionate Action for Animals has decided to pursue cage-free
eggs in non-residence dining locations on campus, officer Donny
Mansfield said.
He said that given the transition to cage-free eggs at other
universities and colleges around the nation, his group didn?t realize it
would be such an issue.
?We did not think this would be an easy battle, but we didn?t expect
this much resistance,? he said.
The group collected 2,000 signatures from students supporting a
transition to cage-free eggs, 1,000 of which came from residence halls,
he said.
Mansfield said the group hasn?t done something like this before, and
that the organization signed a statement saying it won?t push another
campaign of this nature for several years if the cage-free eggs campaign
is a success.
For the association, the issue is about improving students? dining
experience.
Jenna Strain, Residence Hall Association vice president and co-author of
the resolution opposing a transition to cage-free eggs, said lack of
student interest in the issue and students? desire for other
improvements contributed to the decision to oppose cage-free eggs in
residence halls.
?When we talked about it at the advisory board (meeting), the general
consensus was that a lot of people didn?t care and it wasn?t an issue
that was important to them as residents,? she said.
There are residence hall vice presidents, who had solicited input from
their respective halls, on the advisory board, Strain said.
?Right now there are so many other price increases, to ask students for
another (increase) they don?t feel passionate about isn?t fair,? she said.
The association could ask for every improvement students want, she said,
but realistically it won?t get every request.
?We wanted to make our priorities clear,? she said.
Strain cited guest passes and lengthening dining hours as priority
improvements to dining services.
Mansfield said that during the meeting in which the association voted to
oppose cage-free eggs, Strain presented the situation incorrectly, as
strictly a choice between cage-free eggs or other improvements, even
though a switch to cage-free eggs would ?not have any consequences for
the other additions that students wanted.?
The resolution encourages UDS to research and pursue cage-free options
in non-residential dining locations.
The Graduate and Professional Student Assembly and the Council of
Graduate Students have approved resolutions calling for cage-free eggs
on campus.
Jacqueline Jacob, an assistant professor and poultry extension animal
scientist, said that although Compassionate Action for Animals has
expressed otherwise, she believes a campaign for cage-free eggs is the
first in a line of many.
The end result, she said, would be animal products that are too costly.
Jacob spoke opposite cage-free advocates at the UDS Advisory Board
meeting in which students approved a transition to cage-free eggs.
?(Members of Compassionate Action for Animals) don?t want us to use
animals in any way, so they?re trying to force their vegetarian
lifestyle on us by making it too expensive to buy the product,? she said.
She said UDS and the animal science department are in initial stages of
discussion about egg production.
The department has about 30 birds, she said.
?If we were going to supply (UDS), we have the facilities, but we would
have to set something up,? she said.
The department?s facilities would need to support a large operation, she
said, which could be integrated into a poultry management class.
