A haunted house erected outside the student union Wednesday had some students rethinking their opinions on factory farming and meat eating.
Members of the Body of Animal Rights Campaigners, or BARC, gathered outside the Student Union at 8:30 a.m. to build a replica of a barn, which contained images of slaughtered animals lining the walls and replicas of headless turkeys hanging from the ceiling. Participants also viewed a video, Meet Your Meat, about the life and death of each factory farmed animal.
BARC member Sara Beniamino coordinated the demonstration to raise awareness of the conditions animals face in what are known as factory farming facilities.
"We're talking about scary issues here," Beniamino said. "Halloween is a perfect time to do it."
Beniamino remembers one classmate who ran out of the haunted barn crying just minutes after entering the facility.
"People are shocked," Beniamino said.
Most students who walked through the haunted barn were surprised by the close quarters animals are kept in before being slaughtered. Many were surprised to learn chicken's beaks were cut off while they are still alive to prevent them from pecking other chickens being prepared for slaughter.
"It makes me really not want to eat meat anymore," student Angela Chuk said. "But I still will."
Angela Chuk's sister, Tiffany Chuk agreed.
"Where are we supposed to get our protein from?" Tiffany Chuk asked. "Maybe we should just eat more seafood."
While Beniamino realizes that it will be difficult to convince the entire American public to stop eating meat, she said making people like the Chuks think about eating meat is a step in the right direction.
"We're trying to educate people," Beniamino said. "Everyone can come to their own conclusion."
However, Beniamino has not lost all hope that the public will stop consuming meat. She said that the bird flu ravaging Europe and periodic scares of Mad Cow Disease has the potential to stop even the biggest meat lovers from buying burgers.
"I think the next time I eat a piece of steak I'll wonder if the animal was treated humanely," Tiffany Chuk said.
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