30th Apr2012

Alliance of Animal Rights Groups Target Princeton University

by Anthony Nocella

Since 2010, Princeton University has been cited over twenty times to be in violation of the bare minimum requirements set forth by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal Welfare Act. Amongst the staggering list of charges, reports unveiled that the University has neglected ailing animals, deliberately deprived animals of water and veterinary medical care, routinely subjected animals to excessive confinement, and maintained speciously incomplete record keeping.

In response to this degenerate display of Princeton University’s blatant disregard for the animals they hold captive, a large and organized anti-vivisection alliance has emerged consisting of Win Animal Rights (WAR), Animal Activists of Philly (AAP), and Friends of Animals United NY/NJ (FAUN) to bring these egregious acts into the public consciousness. While these organizations have been tirelessly campaigning against this institution for over eight months, they are now unifying their efforts by establishing a Princeton-based body of campaigners, increasing their presence on other areas of the campus (including Green Hall – the actual primate laboratory), circulating petitions, creating relevant multi-media content, and with the support/sponsorship of Stop Animal Exploitation Now (SAEN) are developing a central website to expose the horrors behind these violations.

To join the cause, sign the petition, donate, and/or learn more please visit the links provided below:

Princeton Primate Abuse: http://www.princetonprimateabuse.com/

Friends of Animals United (FAUN): http://www.faunnj.org/

Animal Activists of Philly (AAP): http://www.meetup.com/Animal-Activists-of-Philly/

Win Animal Rights (WAR): http://www.facebook.com/WinAnimalRights

Stop Animal Exploitation Now (SAEN): http://www.all-creatures.org/saen/

Video of the Alliance’s protest on April 28th, 2012: http://youtu.be/nAaOvh0csOk

24th Mar2012

Michigan State Circus Victory

by Anthony Nocella


Last week it was announced that the Royal Hanneford Circus—plagued by annual protests and recurring political pressure to school administrators—would not be returning to Michigan State University’s Breslin Events Center.

In 2008, MSU’s animal rights group spearheaded a campaign to get the event removed from campus. The initiative involved letter-writing campaigns to college and local newspapers, a petition in the form of a Facebook group, an assertive speech to the MSU Board of Trustees, and culminated in a student-organized protest that drew over 80 participants and multiple news organizations. This effort, organized by a handful of dedicated undergraduates, was enough to have the circus canceled the following year, after almost 20 years of uninterrupted Lansing appearances.

Pressure from the Michigan Farm Bureau and other agriculture lobbies killed trustee support for a circus ban, but SPAR’s work pressed on by repeating the annual protests and enlisting the help of national animal protection groups like PETA and HSUS, which helped to pressure the University and made dozens of phone calls to local businesses and advertisers and informing them of Royale Hanneford’s many Animal Welfare Act violations. This barrage of action led to a 35 percent drop in ad revenue and a cancellation of the circus on “economic” grounds.

18th Sep2011

Censorship On The Campus of Cansius College

by Anthony Nocella

On September 9th 2011, Canisius College’s Institute for the Study of Human-Animal Relations (ISHAR) hosted “The Use of Primates in Biomedical Research: A Personal Perspective” at the Montante Cultural Center featuring guest speaker Dr. James Ha, head of the primate breeding program at the Washington National Primate Research Center (WNPRC) in the University of Washington (UW). It was here and then, where animal rights activist and student, Morgan Jamie Dunbar, was combatively arrested and detained after raising questions during the evening’s Q&A segment about the USDA-documented mistreatment of primates at UW during his tenure at that institution. (more…)

29th Apr2011

Students Are On The Path To Animal Liberation At Hunter College

by Anthony Nocella

While some student-governed animal rights groups are relegated to a second-class status amongst collegiate clubs and organizations, Paths to Animal Liberation (PAL) worked to defy this norm by fulfilling their school’s requirements, policies, and guidelines to be officially recognized.  On the campus of Hunter College, the largest college in the City University of New York (CUNY) system, PAL was successfully deemed a 1st Year Charter Club by their administration, and therefore receives funds of $1,000 annually for their activities.  With official elections and an executive board, PAL not only maintains a validated and legitimized presence on their campus, but they do so with a hard-line vegan message.

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05th Feb2011

Starting a Student Group

by Anthony Nocella

The importance of starting a student group at your college cannot be emphasized enough.

Starting a student group is more than a symbolic gesture, it is a real step towards building an animal rights community and accomplishing goals on campus.

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12th Oct2010

New Student Animal Rights Group at SUNY Cortland

by Anthony Nocella

At SUNY Cortland, in the middle of New York, there is a new and very exciting student animal rights group emerging! Cortland Students for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is having their first meeting October  18th at Corey Union, Room 204-206. If you are a national or international organization, this group is needing flyers, posters, videos, and speakers! So please contact them. The main organizer of the group is Ashley Mosgrove a student at SUNY Cortland. On a historical note, SUNY Cortland was the site of last year’s 9th Annual North American Conference for Critical Animal Studies, that had over 300 people attend from six different countries. Click here to visit Cortland Students for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Facebook group.

18th Jul2010

Campus Progress Snubs Animal Rights

by Anthony Nocella
http://www.dosomething.org/files/imagecache/500_either_way/files/project_photos/nuggetRED300.jpgJuly 7 saw the confluence of thousands of student progressives in Washington D.C. to share information and learn about progressive causes and strategy at the 2010 Campus Progress National Conference. The Feminist Majority, the SEIU, and the Enough Project were just a few of the groups present along with myself, representing peta2. Sadly, the wide array of campaigns presented at the conference by speakers, panelists, exhibitors, and students seemed to leave little room for animal liberation.
15th Jul2010

Protesters Target Yale Animal Labs and Expose Ivy League Abusers

by Anthony Nocella

Members of the newly formed Connecticut Animal Rights Network (CARN) along with New Haven residents protested at Yale University’s George St. building. Activists carried signs reading “Yale Tortures Animals”, “End Ivy League Animal Abuse”, and “Shut Down Yale Animal Labs.”

Leaflets were distributed detailing the lives of the 150,000 animals who are locked away with examples detailing how animals suffer in Yale labs along with the names of specific Yale faculty members who are responsible for such suffering and death.

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