To meat or not to eat?

Hungry students walking into the dining halls yesterday were greeted by two different campus groups urging them to alter their eating habits for a higher cause.

The "College Veg Pledge," sponsored by the Princeton Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), asked students to give up meat for a day, while the Oxfam Hunger Fast asked students to donate one of their meals toward humanitarian relief efforts. Both programs had booths in all six residential colleges' dining halls.

As of Tuesday, at least 690 Princeton students had signed the "Veg Pledge," an effort that has recruited thousands of students across 35 schools. Students who sign the voluntary pledge commit to a vegetarian diet for one day.

"The goal of the veg pledge is to encourage participants to consider the impact of their food choices and understand that they have the power to change their personal consumption habits," said PAWS president Jenny Palmer '09.

PAWS has been promoting the event and collecting signatures for months by personal solicitation in dining halls and dorms, an online petition and Facebook ads, PAWS secretary Samantha Pergadia '11 said.

Palmer said the 690 Princeton students who signed the vegetarian pledge ate 180 fewer animals than they otherwise would have yesterday. She said her numbers were based on rough statistics for Americans' average meat consumption.

"The point isn't changing the industry in one night, but rather encouraging people to think about their longterm consumption habits," Palmer said.

Meanwhile, Oxfam Princeton's Hunger Fast — held in conjunction with SVC's Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week — recruited students in dining halls throughout last week, signing up 1,184 undergraduate and graduate students.

Participating students have one meal taken off their meal plans and are unable to swipe in at any dining hall for dinner, though they are able to have a late meal at Frist Campus Center.

"Oxfam Princeton donates the money to Oxfam International for their humanitarian relief efforts," the group's president, Lilian Timmermann '08, said.

"Meals are deducted from the students' balance on the evening of the fast," Dining Services Director Stu Orefice explained. "Dining Services provides a donation based on the food cost saved for the individual meal."

Oxfam Princeton expects to receive about $5 per meal donated, the group's incoming president, Teck Hsien Ho '10, said.

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There is no cap on the number of students who can donate meals, but only students with meal plans from Princeton University Dining Services (PUDS) can give up a meal. In addition, students may only give up one meal, and upperclassmen cannot give up one of the two free PUDS meals they receive each week.

Though yesterday's double dose of dining hall solicitations may have been too much for some students, others agreed to commit to at least one of the two causes.

"I'm doing the veg pledge because even though I could never be a vegetarian, I do support other people's beliefs and am willing to show my support for a day," Vance Stephens '11 said.

Mary Fan '10, who signed up for the hunger fast, said she thought the booth's visible location was a wise marketing tactic. "Their campaign was pretty effective," she said. "They were parked right outside the dining hall."

But Bradley Baron '11 was less inspired by the dining hall activism he encountered. "I didn't [sign up] because I am a hungry person," he said. "I think they're both good programs, but I just didn't feel like doing them."

Aaron Linsky '08 also took a pass on the programs. "I don't think I'd do the veg pledge because I like meat," he said.

Though both programs were separately conceived, it was appropriate that they took place simultaneously, PAWS vice president Alex Barnard '09 said.

"The fact that [the veg pledge] is the same day as the Oxfam pledge is even better because it helps us draw connections between issues of animal suffering and issues of human suffering," he said.

PAWS held a Veg Pledge Party at Whitman College last night to celebrate the conclusion of its event, while Oxfam will hold its Hunger Banquet on Thursday.