2008 Woodie Awards
Students address CAFO concerns
Caitlin Dean
Issue date: 11/15/07 Section: News
The service learning group hopes to make connections with the outside community to help future classes and to begin raising awareness on campus, May said.
Junior Torin Brenner said he didn't even know what a CAFO was until two months ago but that his involvement in the project has changed his own habits.
"I've ... started eating a lot less meat, to the point where I don't eat meat in the dining halls anymore," he said.
Brenner said the group considered trying to change where meat for the campus dining halls is purchased, but that idea has been put on hold.
"It's not anything that we're just forgetting about, but other parts of the project took precedence, so it kind of got pushed aside for right now," he said.
Students think this project has achieved its biggest aim.
"The goal of a service learning project in general is to educate others while educating yourself," sophomore Jamie Barbaglia said. "So we're doing a hands-on activity in order to help others become interested while at the same time learning ourselves."
The local issue on which students chose to focus is "the effects of 'cheap meat' on the environment, local community, and workers," according to the pamphlet the CAFO service learning group designed and distributed.
Barbaglia said the idea to create a project focused on CAFOs came from a class speaker, Macon resident Pam Stokes. Stokes has experienced the effects of CAFOs firsthand because one was built near her home.
"The community members try to stop them from coming in, but they have so much power because they're so wealthy and have so much money," Barbaglia said. "It's basically impossible for a small community like Macon or La Plata not to let CAFOs come in."
Stokes also encouraged students in the class to attend a meeting of the group Citizens Against Polluting Environment, Barbaglia said.
Junior Torin Brenner said he didn't even know what a CAFO was until two months ago but that his involvement in the project has changed his own habits.
"I've ... started eating a lot less meat, to the point where I don't eat meat in the dining halls anymore," he said.
Brenner said the group considered trying to change where meat for the campus dining halls is purchased, but that idea has been put on hold.
"It's not anything that we're just forgetting about, but other parts of the project took precedence, so it kind of got pushed aside for right now," he said.
Students think this project has achieved its biggest aim.
"The goal of a service learning project in general is to educate others while educating yourself," sophomore Jamie Barbaglia said. "So we're doing a hands-on activity in order to help others become interested while at the same time learning ourselves."
The local issue on which students chose to focus is "the effects of 'cheap meat' on the environment, local community, and workers," according to the pamphlet the CAFO service learning group designed and distributed.
Barbaglia said the idea to create a project focused on CAFOs came from a class speaker, Macon resident Pam Stokes. Stokes has experienced the effects of CAFOs firsthand because one was built near her home.
"The community members try to stop them from coming in, but they have so much power because they're so wealthy and have so much money," Barbaglia said. "It's basically impossible for a small community like Macon or La Plata not to let CAFOs come in."
Stokes also encouraged students in the class to attend a meeting of the group Citizens Against Polluting Environment, Barbaglia said.
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