Debatable is a column written by the Otago University Debating Society. The Debating Society welcomes new members and meets at the Business School every Tuesday at 6pm.
For: Ollie Thorns
It’s a pretty clear case, freshers are better off without meat. The calorie intake that freshers require as a result of their hangovers and regurgitation of food (binge-drinking rookies) means vegetarian dining halls would bring a net positive not only for the environment and animals, but the student population at large. Let me elaborate: if halls stop serving meat, freshers won’t get as drunk and obnoxious, and the animals and biosphere as a whole will be better off. Several logical mechanisms can be explored to show this. Firstly, if freshers don’t have meat in their dining halls, they will do one of two things: buy meat themselves (which is expensive and uses money they can spend on a box), or be forced to eat more carby foods, preventing excess alcohol absorption. With less drunk freshers, things like eels and (allegedly) ducks are less likely to be abused in alcohol-fueled madness. Everyone’s critical thinking could benefit from a hearty falafel curry. Plus, getting freshers familiar with vegetarian meals is probably a good thing. As people tend to cook meals they are familiar with, freshers' quality of life will increase from having more money to spend on warming their dingy second-year flats from their tried and true vegetarian meals being cheaper. And with hall kitchens becoming vegetarian, the new order lists will dent the demand for meat in Dunedin, making it a less valuable commodity. This encourages lower production of livestock, less feed for the livestock, and more efficient land use, ultimately culminating in less greenhouse gas emissions and a happier Leonardo Dicaprio. Under 25s saving the environment? Say less.
Against: Liam Gould
You can lead a breatha to a vegetarian meal, but you can’t make them eat it — or more importantly, enjoy it. We know, based on studies overseas, that when faced with vegetarian meals as the default option, most college students will stop eating meat, leaving a small minority of carnivores who still opt in for that dusty late breakfast bacon. But should Otago force this minority to have vegetarian meals as their only choice? Meat is a staple of most New Zealanders’ diets, whether you like it or not. This is doubly true for the Otago breatha. Whether it's chasing gains at the gym or putting on bulk to endure the Dunedin winter, there’s no denying it serves a utility to this proud species. Vegetarianism might have its benefits, such as environmentalism and animal welfare, but what will happen to this group when they’re forced to change their diet to accommodate these ideals? Let me tell you, it’s unlikely they’ll suddenly see the errors of their ways and embrace the teachings of Jamie Oliver. Instead, they’ll become resentful, indulging in meat with a vengeance in their second year, the halls having destroyed any hope of potential change in their futures. First-years may be annoying, bless them, and those of us who have had to endure a culture fixated on the consumption of animals might find some satisfaction in turning the tables by forcing vegetarian food on them. But if the end goal is a world where more people are vegetarian, that goal is in no way aided by a generation of disgruntled breathas who have had it forced on them. Let the freshers have the choice, because a breatha who chooses to become a vegetarian on their own volition is a breatha who is more likely to stay one.