Victory: UW Oshkosh Students Stop KFC From Coming to Campus! April 30, 2009

Posted by Ryan at April 30, 2009 8:11 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 9 ) | TrackBack

Well, they did it!

As we reported last week, when students at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh found out that their school was considering adding a KFC location to the campus, they were horrified. Even worse, according to students, the deal was "about 95% complete".

Never one to back down from a challenge, a coalition of students and faculty began working together, petitioning for five hours a day, for four days straight, to gather nearly 500 petition signatures against KFC. Yesterday was the final meeting with the administration before they voted on the issue. The students presented their stack of petition signatures, and outlined why KFC would be a terrible choice for both the environment and for animals.

The result? The administrators voted overwhelmingly not to allow a KFC on campus, choosing instead to go with a popular Chinese food restaurant with tons of vegan options!

In recognition of their hard work, peta2 is presenting "Compassionate College Student" Awards to everyone that helped make this happen. They took on one of the world's most notorious animal abusers—and won!

MSU, Circuses, and Iggy Pop...Oh My! April 16, 2009

Posted by Ryan at April 16, 2009 9:06 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 3 ) | TrackBack

By now it's well documented that we at peta2 love the Libby-Award-winning student animal rights group at Michigan State University, Students Promoting Animal Rights (SPAR). They got the circus cancelled from performing on campus for the first time in over a decade, continuously push for additional vegan options in the dining halls, and are even working to expose cruelty inside of MSU's notorious animal testing laboratories.

In fact, they rock so hard, we thought it was about time we paid them a visit. That's why we worked with the group to arrange a highly-publicized speaking event on campus with PETA Vice President, Bruce Friedrich.

We spent the whole week handing out flyers, writing letters to promote the talk in the student newspaper, and chalking on the sidewalks all over campus. The result? The buzz surrounding the event was so was high that attendance was standing room only! More than 200 students, from all backgrounds and viewpoints, packed into the lecture hall to hear Bruce speak.



Of course, it's not just peta2 that's taking notice of the student group's high-profile campaigns. Their campaign to permanently ban circuses with animals from campus has just gained a celebrity endorsement from none other than Michigan native and rock icon Iggy Pop!


Photo Credit: RainCityStudios/CC

In Iggy's passionate plea to the university, he reminds the administrators that "Circus trainers beat, shock, and whip animals such as tigers, bear, and elephants to make them perform tricks, which to the animals are confusing and meaningless." You can read Iggy's full letter by clicking here.

If you haven't already, take a second to join Iggy in asking the MSU Board of Trustees to ban circuses from campus by signing the petition.

Also, make sure to leave your positive feedback for these superstar students below.

College Students Are Busy, Busy, Busy! April 7, 2009

Posted by Ryan at April 7, 2009 9:01 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 2 ) | TrackBack

With the spring semester coming close to an end, it looks like college students, groups, and activists around the world are rapidly trying to squeeze in as much awesomeness as possible before the clock strikes "finals".

We've been flooded with tons of emails and reports from students, who are all doing amazing work to raise awareness about animal rights on campus. I just wanted to share a few examples with you though, incase they inspire you to organize similar events at your school!

1) The Theta Phi Alpha sorority at York College of Pennsylvania decided to make their spring formal event fur-free, to show that students can get a look that "kills" without harming any animals!

2) The student animal rights club at Brock University (in Canada) decided to organize a concert for animal rights on campus, featuring live bands and FREE vegan pizzas, chili rolls, spring rolls, and nachos for all attendees!

3) Students at Marquette University (in Milwaukee, WI) gathered more than 1,200 petition signatures from people on campus against dissection in the classroom! As a result, there is now a bill in the student government aiming to provide all students with scientific non-animal alternatives.

4) The student group at the University of South Florida worked with peta2 to gather more than 3,000 petition signatures from students, in support of additional vegan options on campus. As a result, the school has now added vegetarian bacon, sausage, chicken, and much more to the cafeteria menus!

So which one inspires you the most? I don't want to rush you or anything, but I know a group of sorority girls that are anxiously awaiting your response ...

Dude, I Swear I Saw a Giant Chicken on Campus... September 17, 2008

Posted by Ryan at September 17, 2008 2:22 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 5 ) | TrackBack

These were the kinds of conversations students were having at Syracuse University on their way to class this week.

That's because the student animal rights group (SARO), was out in force (with some assistance from peta2 volunteers), to gather signatures to kick KFC off their campus!

You see, there is a KFC located right in their dining hall, and obviously students don't want that. That's why the student group was able to gather over 1,200 signatures on their petition to ban KFC from campus—in the first day! They even got a mention in The Daily Orange student newspaper.


Pretty amazing, right?

Want to organize a similar campaign on your campus? It doesn't matter whether you want to improve the vegan options on campus, obtain alternatives to dissection, or anything else, we're here to help!

Look how much fun it can be!


- Ryan!

Superstar College Activist Petitions to Ban KFC from Campus! July 31, 2008

Posted by Ryan at July 31, 2008 1:04 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 4 ) | TrackBack

As The Daily Herald is reporting today, one of peta2's former Star Street Teamers, Jason Levy, is leading an effort to ban KFC from his college campus!

So far, he has gathered over 300 petition signatures from his fellow students, and has even passed a resolution through his student government which supports the ban. Now, it's all up to the Board of Trustees (read: administrators) to make the ban official. Come on, administrators, get with the program! :)

Jason's campaign comes on the heels of a similar one at Florida Gulf Coast University, and students from all over the country are starting to organize similar petitions for their campus.

Want to get involved? Drop us a line to get a "KFC-Free Zone" campaign started on your campus!

Also, you can check out the full article about Jason's efforts by clicking on the clip below:




Great work, Jason. We're all rooting for you!

Give me a J (J!) Give me an A (A!)...

- Ryan!

Nugget on Campus! September 14, 2007

Posted by Marta at September 14, 2007 1:35 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 1 ) | TrackBack

Well, the fall semester is in full swing, and we're as excited as you are!

Ok, so many of you probably aren't thrilled that you have to wake up for those annoying morning classes, and the fact that it's getting colder by the day (unless you live in southern California) probably doesn't help. But there is hope!

To kick things off here locally, we visited my alma mater (that's "where I went to school" in smarty pants language), Old Dominion University, to start a buzz about animal rights and remind people that chickens aren't nuggets, they're animals!

Here are a few pics from the event, and make sure to check out the video of "Nugget" breakin' a leg (in a totally non-KFC kind of way) on the dance stage.

Fun, right?!

If you're in college, or know somebody who is, tell them to check our NEW college section of peta2, so that they can have fun at school for once too!

-Ryan