MSU Student Group Blasts Proposed University Policy At Upcoming Board Of Trustees Meeting

Group Says Animals Are Routinely Beat and Neglected in Animal Circus Industry

For Immediate Release:
April 23, 2009

Contact:
Mitch Goldsmith 517 XXX XXXX
East Lansing, MI. — With signs reading, “Stop Elephant Abuse, Boycott the Circus” Students Promoting Animal Rights members and supporters will rally outside the Board of Trustees Friday meeting in opposition to a proposed “animal care” policy drafted by a university committee chaired by Interim Assistant Vice President for the Regulatory Affairs Office JR Haywood. SPAR President Drew Winter, Vice President Mitch Goldsmith and Faculty Advisor Beth Rhodes will later make a presentation to the Board reveling academic studies, position papers, affidavits and the latest Ringling Brothers Barnum and Baily animal abuse trial updates which all demonstrate that animals in circuses suffer routine neglect, psychological and psychical abuse at the hands of circus employees.

When:   Friday, April 24, (rally) 9am (presentation) 11am
Where:  MSU Administration Building (rally) entrance (presentation) board room

A local organization has contracted the Royal Hanneford Circus to perform at the MSU Jack Breslin Student Events Center for 16 consecutive years. This year the University disallowed animal circuses on campus but SPAR is concerned the university may soon reverse that decision. This month the university Regulatory Affairs Office proposed a three paragraph policy in response to SPAR pressure entitled Contract Requirements for Events Involving the Use of Animals at Michigan State University Facilities. The policy is said to support the enforcement of the animal welfare act in regards animal exhibitions inspected by the USDA. 

“This is not a policy, this is an attempt to stall and pacify,” says SPAR’s President Drew Winter. “It is an insult to the intelligence of  MSU students to think this is anything other than a joke. Neither us, nor this issue will go away. The circus will go away!”

Earlier this month, Michigan rocker Iggy Pop endorsed SPAR’s efforts sending a letter to Board Chairman Joel Ferguson supporting a University wide circus ban.

SPAR is Michigan State University’s animal-rights group. We focus on positive outreach to raise awareness about the benefits of a cruelty-free lifestyle. We also provide social networking for vegans, vegetarians, animal rights activists, and animal lovers. We leaflet, host movies, volunteer at shelters and sanctuaries, and investigate local animal cruelty.

All of the following practices are standard procedures in animal agriculture; hence, there are no federal laws against them. No anesthesia is used.

Castration:

Castration is a standard practice in the US, although it is not as prevalent in the UK. Other European countries, like Norway and Switzerland, have banned the practice. Castration is done to avoid “boar taint“, an odor, sometimes detectable by humans, that accumulates in the muscle tissue of boars who are not castrated.

VIDEO 1

VIDEO 2

Branding:

Branding is used to identify the owners of cattle.

VIDEO 1

VIDEO 2

De-beaking:

Egg-laying hens are de-beaked so they do not peck or cannibalize one another. This is a frequent problem since egg-laying hens are confined to cages so small that they cannot spread their wings. Intentional light deprivation and the close quarters cause hens to go insane and become violent with one another.

VIDEO

Meet Your Meat:

VIDEO

The first way to stop this cruelty is to stop participating in it! Consider adopting a vegetarian diet. It’s good for your health, good for the environment, and saves the animals!

http://www.freep.com/article/20090416/ENT07/904160398/1035/ENT/Iggy+Pop+supports+MSU+circus+ban

Iggy Pop supports MSU circus ban
Detroit Free Press

April 16, 2009

Iggy Pop supports Michigan State University’s decision to ban animal circuses from campus in 2009 and hopes the school will make the ban permanent.

“As students who are concerned about animal welfare have told you, performing animals are deprived of everything that is natural to them, including the ability to roam, forage and form families and friendships,” Pop said in a letter to the MSU Board of Trustees. It was written on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

PETA says the board of trustees decided not to allow the Royal Hanneford Circus (or any others with animal performers) on campus in 2009, for the first time in 16 years. But what about 2010?

“The circus industry is big, wealthy and powerful, and I’m sure that its leaders are encouraging you to reverse your decision,” Pop said in his letter.

“I implore you to continue to keep the interests of your students and the welfare of animals at the forefront of your thoughts and stand firm on your policy.”

Iggy Pop says animals deserve to roam.

The Humane Charity Seal of Approval is the easiest way for donors to spot charities that are committed to providing vital services and care to patients or advancing research without the use of animals.

People who donate to charities want to know where their money is going. For many, a key concern is whether their donations might fund animal experiments. In fact, over 65 percent of adults recently surveyed said they would be more likely to donate to a health charity that had a policy of never funding animal experiments. Over 80 percent of those under 35 agreed.

With a rapidly expanding and diversifying list of approved charities, the Humane Charity Seal of Approval is leading the way into a new era of humane giving.

http://www.humaneseal.org/ 

By Chris Vannini
The State News
Published: March 16, 2009

ASMSU hopes to ban exotic animal acts from MSU.

Its Student Assembly passed a bill at a joint meeting March 5 to mandates this goal.

The bill will be presented to Academic Assembly at a meeting today.

ASMSU is MSU’s undergraduate student government.

In January, MSU administrators did not allow the Royal Hanneford Circus to come to Breslin Center for the first time since 1992. According to the bill, ASMSU wants the Board of Trustees to continue this ban.

“It’s a vote of confidence in the students standing by the initial decision of the Board of Trustees not to sign the contract for one year with the Royal Hanneford Circus,” said Mitchell Rivard, a James Madison representative in Academic Assembly.

The bill states that ASMSU will urge the MSU Board of Trustees to ban animal
acts that have received citations from the U.S. Department of Agriculture within the past five years from come to campus.

“I think it reinforces that point that MSU students, specifically our constituents, don’t stand for animal cruelty and businesses and corporations that have citations against the Animal Welfare Act,” Rivard said.

“It’s a huge step forward in terms of student power and making their voices heard.”

Students Promoting Animal Rights, or SPAR, spearheaded the effort to ban the Royal Hanneford Circus from coming to campus and some of the group’s members attended the ASMSU meeting.

Some members also spoke to ASMSU about animal abuse.

“This is a message to the Board of Trustees that the feeling on campus regarding animal rights are clear,” SPAR President and State News guest columnist Drew Winter said.

“It’s good that ASMSU and SPAR see eye to eye on the issue.”

Student Assembly Chairperson Michael Webber said it is important ASMSU take a stance on issues important to students.

“I’m open to any initiative that students bring to our attention,” he said. “I definitely think it deserves to be looked into more and I think that if groups are abusing animals, then it needs to be addressed.”

The bill passed in Student Assembly by a 7-0-8 vote.

The large number of abstained votes was unacceptable, Webber said.

“If people do abstain, I just want to reiterate that it should be for a conflict of interest, which several assembly members did state that they did have conflict,” he said. “In that case, it’s appropriate, but I would just encourage all the representatives to vote on stances, especially if it’s a controversial issue.”

Published on Monday, March 16, 2009

 March 12, 2009 • From Lansing State Journal

The decision to remove the Royal Hanneford Circus from Michigan State University’s list of hosted events is not about animal rights, it is about the law. Since MSU decided to exclude animal acts in its circus, both the university and my organization, Students Promoting Animal Rights (SPAR), have come under attack. These criticisms deserve to be addressed.

First and foremost, the choice to lose charity money due to the cancellation of the circus was made by the host, Youth Caravan, and the venue, the Breslin Center. At SPAR’s first meeting with both groups in February 2008, we presented a list of all-human circuses that were available on the same day to do charity shows. MSU, in fact, offered to allow Royal Hanneford to perform without using animals. However, Youth Caravan declined.Upon hearing MSU’s decision, SPAR sent a letter to Ed Purchis, Caravan’s circus committee secretary-treasurer, with a list of alternative fundraisers SPAR would help organize. Purchis has not responded to multiple e-mails and phone calls. The seeming “inconsistency” in disallowing Royal Hanneford and allowing other animal acts, such as the Lipizzaner Stallions, is presumably a matter of law for MSU, and assuredly a matter of resources for SPAR. Royal Hanneford has been cited for more than 20 violations of the Animal Welfare Act, including failure to provide veterinary care for elephants with tuberculosis and providing inadequate cage space for other animals.

Royal Hanneford also employed Tim Frisco, who was filmed beating elephants with metal hooks, advising his coworkers to “make ‘em scream” and “tear that foot off.” Royal Hanneford continued to advertise his employment on their Web site years after the video was widely publicized. Unfortunately, these violations pale in comparison to larger circuses like Barnum & Bailey and Ringling Bros., which explains why this cruel industry is banned in dozens of cities and countries.

Critics want to know where SPAR’s “indignation” is for the Lipizzaner Stallions and the rodeo. They can be found in our marketing department, investigation department, and our many full-time employees - none of which exist. SPAR is a student organization made up entirely of volunteers. Although we’re perhaps the most active student group on campus, we are still full-time students. And since we’re focused on results, rather than posturing, we choose to focus on a few campaigns to get results, rather than just issuing a press release denouncing every animal event on campus.

Most important, the vocal outrage over the circus didn’t come from our small group of members, but from our community - the 80-plus who joined us in the protest, the 1,000 members of our facebook group, “cruelty is not entertainment,” and the many passionate letters to local newspapers.

Animal circuses are a particularly cruel industry and a stain upon the university. The Board should officially ban the circus - not to appease SPAR or win popularity, but to protect animals from cruelty. To see the full list of violations and contact MSU trustees, visit sparmsu.org.

For Violations: http://circuses.com/pdfs/fact-royal.pdf

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

FROM: Student’s Promoting Animal Rights (SPAR)   

DATE:  March 8, 2009 

•  
  •  
    SUBJECT:      Exotic Animal Ban Bill Passed Unanimously by MSU Student Government

 
East Lansing, MI – A bill introduced by Mitchell Rivard, Associated Students of Michigan State University Academic Assembly Representative from James Madison College, passed through a joint session of Student and Academic Assembly last week by a unanimous vote. “This shows that students at Michigan State University simply do not stand for animal abuse, stated Representative Rivard. “The Board of Trustees and Administration now have heard loud and clear from all colleges and organizations on campus that MSU is no place for circuses that neglect their animals.”  

The bill references the Royal Hanneford Circus, which has been cited over 20 times since 1993 for violations of the Animal Welfare Act. These violations include failure to treat elephants with tuberculosis, failure to provide animals with adequate cage space, and failure to provide authorities with documentation. The bill “strongly urges the Michigan State University Board of Trustees ban exotic animal acts from campus with USDA citations within the past five years.”  

In additional support, The State News ran an opinion poll asking “Would you attend the Royal Hanneford Circus if it came to Breslin Center?” Out of 140 responses, 94% of people responded no, clarifying that an overwhelming majority don’t support The Royal Hanneford Circus and their continued abuse of animals. 

A full version of the bill passed by ASMSU in its entirety can be obtained upon request.  

Student’s Promoting Animal Rights (SPAR) is Michigan State University’s animal-rights group. They focus on positive outreach to raise awareness about the benefits of a cruelty-free lifestyle. They also provide social networking for vegans, vegetarians, animal rights activists, and animal lovers. They leaflet, host movies, volunteer at shelters and sanctuaries, and investigate local animal cruelty.  

The Associated Students of Michigan State University (ASMSU) is Michigan State University’s undergraduate student government. ASMSU focuses on aiding students in academic and student affairs.  

####

Although the Board of Trustees did not renew this year’s circus contract, they are being pressured to hire the circus next year. The trustees would simply be BREAKING THEIR WORD to do so.

Their decisions are based on the quantity of letters and phone calls they receive, so MSU students who OPPOSE ANIMAL ABUSE need to SPEAK OUT!

 Lou Anna K. Simon: presmail@msu.edu
Joel Ferguson: lucyjif@aol.com
Melanie Foster: mfoster@msu.edu
Dianne Byrum: dbyrum@byrumfisk.com
Colleen McNamara: MCTACMM@aol.com
Donald Nugent: donugent@gracelandfruit.com
Faylene Owen: fayleneo@msn.com
George Perles: perles@msu.edu
Diann Woodard: diannwoodard@aol.com

Dear Trustees,

As a concerned student, I was very happy to know that there will be no animal circus at MSU this year. I’ve heard that some people, who apparently don’t care about animal abuse, feel differently. Please remember the fact that Royal Hanneford was cited over 20 times since 1993 for violations of the Animal Welfare Act, including failure to treat elephants with tuberculosis, failure to provide animals with adequate cage space, and failure to provide authorities with documents.

Also please remember that Royal Hanneford thought it acceptable to employ infamous animal abuser Tim Frisco, who was caught on tape beating elephants with bullhooks! Such barbarism is illegal in many cities and even countries around the world- it has no place at our fine university. I urge you to keep your word and officially ban animal circuses from the MSU campus, as circuses equal animal abuse.

Sincerely,

—————

Board members should keep promise of banning circus

I was very excited to learn earlier this year that the Royal Hanneford Circus would not be returning to Breslin Center. This decision was considered a victory to me and many other MSU students as we fought hard last year to discourage the circus’ return. As you well know by now, the Royal Hanneford has been cited numerous times for animal cruelty and many students were glad to see it removed from Breslin’s schedule.

Recently, I learned the MSU Board of Trustees is being pressured to bring the circus back next year. While I understand the board’s dilemma, I urge the trustees to keep their promise to MSUstudents and refuse to bring back the Royal Hanneford Circus. 

For residents who are really bent on attending some kind of circus, there are several all-human, humane circuses that tour the U.S.Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, Lazer Vaudeville and 7 Fingers circuses are a few humane circuses that offer the appeal of circus entertainment with all-human casts. Bringing one of these circuses to Breslin in place of an outdated animal circus, like the Royal Hanneford, should satisfy students and community members, as well as circus patrons, who oppose cruelty.

Last year hundreds of MSU students joined together to fight for a cause they believed in — an end to Breslin’s support of animal cruelty. The board’s decision to uphold the wishes of the students and refuse to support animal cruelty on campus was applauded by students and other members of the East Lansing community. Please keep your word to the students and do not reconsider bringing the Royal Hanneford Circus back to Breslin.

Katy DeSantis

journalism sophomore

Published on Thursday, February 26, 2009

For Violations: http://circuses.com/pdfs/fact-royal.pdf

According to the Individual Research Grants and Contracts section of Research Newsnewsletter published by the university, Dr. Bursian and Dr. Weber received no individual grants or contracts for Winter 2009.

 Dr. Bursian, who has been conducting cruel and pointless lethal studies on Mink practically since he began teaching at MSU in 1979 and has killed thousands of animals including rats, chickens and Mink.  For more information on his research, visit: http://myprofile.cos.com/sbursian

Dr. Weber has been conducting routine and repetitive experiments on cats. These experiments have received international attention for their cruelty. For more information, visit: http://www.psl.msu.edu/directory/faculty/weber.html