University Dining needs more vegan options
In response to your April 19 article “Vegetarians hungry for change,” I would like to compliment Tracy Anderson for speaking out about the lack of vegetarian options available on campus. Vegetarian dishes are more popular than ever — particularly among college students — for reasons ranging from health and environmental concerns to the clear cruelty to animals involved in raising and killing them for food. In fact, a recent study by Aramark, a leading food service provider, concluded that nearly one in four college students are actively seeking vegan options when they sit down to eat. For the University to disregard the concerns of that large a segment of its student body would be a regrettable error on their part.
Most students are horrified to discover chickens have their beaks sliced off when they’re only days old, and that many cows and pigs are skinned and dismembered while still fully conscious. If these kinds of abuses were inflicted upon cats or dogs, it would result in felony cruelty to animals charges. Yet these practices are standard in an industry that refuses to make even the most basic improvements in the way their animals are treated.
Thankfully, with so many delicious and cruelty-free dishes, such as vegetarian barbecue “riblets” and vegan pizza available at most grocery stores, and with chain restaurants like Burger King and Ruby Tuesday’s adding delicious vegetarian and vegan dishes to their menus, it’s never been easier to boycott this kind of cruelty. Hopefully, the Dining services department will follow suit as well.
Ryan Huling
College Campaign Coordinator, peta2.com
{Editor’s note: the word length requirement in this letter has been waived.}
Mascots are perfectly fine
Mansoor Omar, you have GOT to be joking in your April 15 column “Mascots need makeover!” Are you seriously this upset over the mascots, or were you just bored and couldn’t find any other story to cover? I have never in my life heard of someone becoming “infuriated” at the site of their beloved mascot, especially because it was too cute.
I have friends who complain about their mascot looking too stupid, but never too lovable. Is it honestly driving you this crazy? Is it hurting your feelings somehow? I mean really. Do you know why the mascots at NCSU look like every toddler’s hero? Because they ARE every toddler’s hero!
The University is not there for just the students but for the entire community. You should maybe look into this a little bit, because clearly you are unaware, but Mr. and Ms. Wuf do A LOT of work around the community, most of which is done for and with young children. Do you realize how much of what mascots do is directed towards children in general? Why in the world would you want your mascot to be scary?
It sounds as if you want YOUR mascot to be some naked, foaming-at-the-mouth, blood thirsty creature who wants only to strangle other mascots. I’m sorry but that is just not what a mascot is supposed to be. The mascot is there for the fans, and the scarier the mascot, the more people hate it.
And if you are so ashamed of your school and your mascot that you want to kick yourself, maybe you don’t belong at NCSU. Maybe you should go to Maryland since you love their mascot so much (which, by the way, the terrapin in the logo looks all big and bad, but the mascot himself looks like a deflated old turtle that may have just wet himself).
I can’t stand it when people like you who clearly don’t care about athletics or school spirit in general get to publish their opinions that degrade the student spirit of the University… YOUR own University. Whether or not you like NCSU athletics (which I don’t think you do), this is still your University, and you should take pride in it.
I wish you would go and ask one of the mascots, or maybe one of the cheerleaders, how easy their job is and how much they appreciate your articles. Maybe you could write about that.
By the way, in previous articles it seems as if you dislike the fact that a lot of the money you pay to the University for your academics goes to athletics. Do you know how expensive it would be to not only redesign but purchase all new mascots and logos for the University? Quite expensive. So if you want to pay more tuition towards things you personally don’t care about, then I guess that’s cool. All I’m saying here is that the mascot should be beloved by all of the students, not belittled.
Tyler Lance Walker Gill
University of Louisville
Protest Cliffside coal plant
People from across the region will converge April 20 in Charlotte to tell Duke Energy that they are opposed to the new coal-fired plant to company is building in Cliffside. The fight against coal has flourished across the country and now it is up to North Carolinians to stop this project. The disastrous effects of climate change and air pollution are already clear. At this point, coal plants, like Cliffside, will only make things far worse. Duke Energy claims to be “green,” yet this coal plant is unnecessary. North Carolina already has enough electricity production. Duke just wants to make more money. This is what they mean by green. The anti-coal movement is quickly gaining strength. I urge all students to help shut down the construction of the Cliffside plant.
Attila Nemecz
NCSU alumni, 2002
