The Animal Rights Activists is a vegan-outreach group that strives to promote a vegan lifestyle to all Auburn students. The goal of the organization is to protect animals that are at risk of being slaughtered or used for fur, leather or down.
Kaitlyn Logan, senior in public relations, is a campus representative for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals as well as the president of the Animal Rights Activists at Auburn.
With a new club, finding members is an inevitable struggle, however, outreach events often encourage people to attend a meeting or join, Logan said.
Controversial issues, such as the treatment of animals, can often spark discourse, and Animal Rights Activists does not try to avoid it.
“We’ve had some bad experiences with outreach; just with people being mad at us and whatnot or not liking the term PETA,” Logan said.
Logan said the group is not out to argue, but rather, they want to educate students on their chosen lifestyle and its consequences.
“We try and have a productive conversation, and we try and maintain a level conversation as long as possible, and if for some reason, they just seem like they don’t want to have a productive conversation, that they’re just out to hurt our feelings or whatever, we end the conversation, and we ask them to leave,” Logan said.
Logan said, however, they have positive interactions with most people they come in contact with.
“We will never ever make someone feel bad," Logan said. "We’ll never make someone feel bad about their choices or anything like that. We really just want to educate, and we’re never going to make anyone feel a certain way about something.”
The Animal Rights Activists, which has been on campus for two semesters, considers itself a feminist organization and strongly opposes the exploitation of dairy cows.
One such event focused on this issue, which was sponsored by PETA, gave students a simulated experience of what a calf goes through after birth using virtual-reality technology.
“We’re talking about the process of the mom has the baby, and then the baby is taken away one to two days after birth, if not right away, in order for us to have the milk that is meant for the baby,” Logan said.
Logan said the calf is not the only one that goes through trauma — the mother also experiences significant loss.
For Logan, one of the most rewarding aspects of being a part of the organization is seeing someone adopt a vegan lifestyle.
“We’re trying to save animals, and with every person that goes vegan, they save 200 animals a year, so it makes us feel good when we know that we helped someone get there,” Logan said.
The group, which consists of about 40 members, meets every other week and is a sister organization with the Plant Based Plainsman. Every other Friday, the two organizations co-host a vegan potluck, which is free and open to all students.
“Come out and see what we’re talking about because a lot, I think a lot, of people are afraid of vegans, but we’re not scary," Logan said. "We just love animals, and we just want to share that information."
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
