“Even if you like meat…you can help end this cruelty,” stated a leaflet that was handed to students Wednesday outside Sacramento State’s University Union. A program called Adopt a College (AAC) works with Vegan Outreach, a non-profit organization, to get the pamphlets into the hands of the campus population.

The pamphlet included information about factory farming and reducing one’s meat consumption to help end animal cruelty. The pamphlet described some of the horrible conditions animals experience before they are killed for consumption, as well as ways people can incorporate non-animal products into their diets.

As senior music performance major Brian Grupe handed leaflets to students, I stopped to talk to him and get his feedback.

“I believe that since animals are sentient beings, meaning they feel pain, that they deserve as much consideration as humans who also feel pain,” Grupe said. “Not to say that animals and humans are the same, but that all sentient beings deserve equal consideration.”

So why have college students as a target audience?

“They’re open minded, and it’s also the first time they’re away from home,” said Sue Rattenbury, who is working with the AAC program to get the message of animal cruelty out to as many schools as possible. “Over the course of a lifetime (young people’s) dietary choices will have (more of) an impact.”

Rattenbury also said Sacramento State is one of the more open-minded campuses when it comes to getting the group’s message out.

“Your campus is great at allowing us to leaflet,” she said. “Some campuses have rules against it.”

In the 2006-07 academic year, the group passed out over one million pamphlets to students across the country.

But what do students think about animal cruelty? And do they find those who leaflet on campus annoying or fascinating?

“I think it’s OK to eat (meat). That’s all part of the food chain, but any kind of abuse is not OK,” freshman music major Jill Sayles said.

Sayles said people have the right to pass out information to the public, as it constitutes as free speech.

“You can choose to listen to it or not. Everyone has the right to express their own views,” she said.

Freshman undeclared major Brooks McCall agreed that eating meat is “all part of the food chain,” but definitely believed animals should be treated humanely while being caged.

Sayles and McCall said that because they hadn’t been on campus long, the fliers haven’t really interested them.

Junior accounting major Josie Coy agreed with Sayles that groups should be allowed to pass out pamphlets around campus.

“I have no problem with them being passed out,” she said. “I found some interesting – I found some I just don’t care (about). If you just say ‘no,’ they don’t really force you into taking it.”

Junior business management major Daniel Serrano also said groups passing out fliers didn’t bother him.

“I’m sometimes interested, but it doesn’t really bother me,” he said. “But if they keep following me (that’s annoying), but that’s been no problem. I don’t mind speaking with people.”

Coy and Serrano also had views on animal cruelty.

“I feel animal cruelty is when animals are mistreated, abused, made to starve,” Coy said. “I have no problem eating meat. I know chickens have really small cages and stuff, but they really try to kill animals in the fastest and most humane way from what I know…I have more problems with personal owners abusing their pets.”

Serrano said he enjoys eating meat, but is disturbed by images of animal cruelty in the media.

Bridget Jones can be reached at [email protected].