During breakfast, the most important meal of the day, many West Chester students can be found at Lawrence Dining Hall filling their plates with an omelet or scrambled eggs. A recent campaign, “West Chester University: Go Cage Free” has put the “chicken before the egg” in their effort to warn students and faculty about the origin of these eggs.The campaign was launched in response to one of the most notorious animal abuses – “battery cage” egg farms. West Chester University currently purchases their eggs from these farms, which confine egg-laying hens to small, barren “battery cages” that restrict them from engaging in natural behaviors – spreading their wings or turning around.
“Unfortunately, most people aren’t aware of the living conditions of most factory farmed animals,” junior Tim Burke said. “Students who have university meal plans are completely at the mercy of whatever West Chester provides; those who want eggs must eat those eggs which are available to them.”
The Humane League of Philadelphia, a nonprofit animal advocacy organization, has sponsored the campaign. The goal of the campaign is to encourage West Chester to provide exclusively cage-free eggs in its dining facilities.
A petition listed on the campaign’s website urges students and faculty to call on West Chester to make switching to cage-free eggs a requirement when renewing their contract in May with Aramark, West Chester’s food services provider. In signing letters to West Chester Dining Services, many students and faculty members have been determined to have their voice heard about Aramark’s lack of commitment to animal welfare.
Approximately 95 percent of eggs sold in the United States come from “battery cage” egg farms. The egg-laying hens live in cages less that the size of an 8 x 11 piece of paper that are stacked one on top of another inside huge warehouses. These detrimental living situations result in extreme physical and psychological stress for the hens.
Although cage-free is still not completely cruelty free, cage-free hens have two to three times more space per bird, which allows them to walk, spread their wings and lay their eggs in nests.
In 2008, California voters passed Proposition 2 to make California the first state in the nation to outlaw confining cages for egg-laying hens. Also speaking up against battery cages, three local Aramark-run schools, including University of Pennsylvania, Immaculata University, and the entire Philadelphia Archdiocesan (Catholic) School System, have recently decided to make the switch to exclusively cage-free eggs.
In response to the campaign, West Chester Dining Services has agreed to begin offering cage-free eggs upon request in Lawrence Dining Hall. Cage-free eggs are currently available to students in the Campus store. West Chester will be unable to completely switch over to cage-free eggs for the 2009-2010 school year; therefore, only students who ask for cage-free eggs will be served an omelet or scrambled eggs using cage-free eggs.
“Since board plan rates for next year have already been submitted we can not adjust them to cover the additional expense incurred by using only cage-free eggs in our dining locations,” Dr. Tom Purce, Assistant Vice-President for Student Affairs said. “We do feel this is an important issue and will take it into consideration as we develop our dining program plans and contracts in the future.”
Melissa Stack is a third-year student majoring in Communication Studies and minoring in Journalism. She can be reached at MS626731@wcupa.edu.