HOW TO GET YOUR CAMPUS TO GO ‘CAGE- FREE’

Here are a few suggestions from Voiceless for how to get your university campus to stop using eggs from battery cage hens. Good-luck with your campaign!

1.     Do your homework

Be sure to research the issue of battery cage hens in Australia before engaging in this campaign. Try to gain a thorough understanding of the issues involved, the frequently asked questions and the laws which govern this area of factory farming.

In addition to looking at our Battery Hen Fact Sheet some websites which may be of use for your research are:
    
•    Humane Society of the United States: Factory Farming Campaign

•    Animals Australia's "Free Betty" website contains lots of useful facts and figures that you might like to use.

•    Voiceless’s Report From Label to Liable, which contains information about free-range eggs and campuses that have previously gone 'cage free'.

•    For industry statistics try visiting the Egg Corp Assured website


2.     Plan your campaign

Speak to your fellow students and find out who is interested in running a campaign. Don’t forget to check Facebook to see if students on your campus are already active in this area. Hold a meeting of interested students and elect campaign coordinators. Share your research and ideas. Make a schedule of tasks which need to be completed, including deadlines or timeframes. Allocate tasks amongst interested volunteers.

Consider who, on campus, could be an ally in this campaign. Consider lecturers, tutors, professors, Deans, student council or union representatives, law student society executives and executives/members of other campus groups for example the environment, vegetarian or vegan groups.

Consider starting a petition in support of a ‘cage free’ campus. Gather signatures from all types of students on campus. This will show wide spread support for this issue and will raise the profile of the campaign. You can then use the petition to persuade the Food Service providers that students support a ‘cage free’ campus.

3.     Arrange a meeting with the ‘Director of Food Services’ on campus

Try to have a few different people attend the meeting. Consider having 2 members of your campaign group and 1 lecturer or professor. Also consider a representative from the student council/government, the law student society or other related campus groups. This shows wide spread support from different groups of people on campus.

Prepare a package for the Director which may include:
•    Photos of battery caged hens, articles, DVDs (for example, there is footage and photos on the Animals Australia website). Let the Director know in advance if you have audio visual requirements for the DVD.

•    A list of campuses that have already gone cage-free (in Australia or overseas).

•    Possible free range or vegetarian/vegan food suppliers. You can try searching on the internet for suppliers in your area or asking other cafes or restaurants who use free range eggs who their suppliers.

•    Any other material which you think may be persuasive.

The people who are going to attend the meeting should get together beforehand and prepare the format of the meeting. Plan out what you are going to say, when you are going to say it and who is going to say it.  Decide on a person to chair the meeting. Try to predict the questions which the Director might ask, research and prepare possible answers.

4.     During the meeting

It is a good idea to act as if this is a job interview. Dress professionally, be prompt, don’t forget to bring your materials and turn off your mobile phone. Take a notepad so you can note down any questions or comments of interest.

Try to be friendly with the Director, rather than being aggressive, emotional or angry. You can still get your point across firmly and with authority in a pleasant way. As law students, this is a good opportunity to put your advocacy skills into practice!

During the meeting the Chair should ensure that all attendees go over all the talking points they prepared and that the Director is given the information package.

Don’t forget to ask the Director if there are questions. If there are any questions which you don't know the answer to, let the Director know that the Chair will arrange to get back to him/her with the answer later on.

At the very end of the meeting, ask when you could expect a decision by the Director. Ask when you should next follow up with the Director, so you have an exact date in mind.

5.     After the meeting

As soon as possible after the meeting, the Chair should arrange for one of the attendees to send a thank you email or card to the director of dining, along with the answer to any question they didn't know at the time.

One of your campaign coordinators should follow up to make sure that progress is made.


6.     If the meeting is not successful

Don’t abandon the campaign! You may have started a process which may take some time to complete. Consider enlisting the help of some new students for fresh ideas and enthusiasm. You could also:

•    Ask your student government/council/union to pass a resolution in favour of going cage free.
•    Arrange for your student newspaper to publish an article or an editorial about your campaign. Raising awareness of the issue in the university campus will assist you in gathering support. Holding stalls, DVD screenings or public lectures will all lend legitimacy to your campaign.
•    Ask VIPs on campus, like professors, student group leaders, staff or alumni to write letters/emails to dining services  offering their support to your campaign.

6.     If the meeting is successful

Congratulations! Please let us know so that we can add your news to our website to inspire other students. 

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