Allied Scholars for Animal Protection wants you to go vegan. Here’s why.
Dr. Faraz Harsini is convinced that if he went vegan while living in Lubbock, TX, you can do it in Austin.
After years of environmental and animal rights advocacy work, his friend confronted him with the question: “If you care about animals so much, how can you justify eating them?” So, Dr. Harsini went vegetarian. And as a medical student, he learned that even if he cured every known cancer, he would still not be able to relieve the number one cause of death in the world: heart disease. The main cause of this disease is diet-related, associated with excess consumption of red meat and dairy. He learned the same exploitation which corrupts the meat industry also affects the dairy industry — both industries maim and effectively torture animals by subjecting them to inhumane conditions.
Once he moved from the United States after completing medical school in his home country of Iran, Dr. Harsini made the switch to veganism for good. In 2022, he founded the organization Allied Scholars for Animal Protection, ASAP. On his website, he explains, “Veganism, for the first time, brought three things together that I was always passionate about: saving human lives, saving the environment, and saving animals.” Now, ASAP educates students on the benefits of plant-based diets at 17 universities across the country.
Ansh Gupta, a graduate student member of ASAP’s UT chapter, went vegan after watching a YouTube video about factory farms. He often wonders what would have happened if he never clicked on that thumbnail.
“It shouldn't be an accident for people to go vegan,” Gupta said. “They should be repeatedly exposed. We basically want to give them the chance to make that realization and make that change.”
ASAP works with the University to create more vegan-friendly resources and promote those already in place. Dr. Harsini notes UT Housing and Dining has one of the best vegan lines he’s ever come across in his work with universities all over the country. And, though Austin boasts a proud barbecue culture, grocery stores like Wheatsville Food Co-Op and Natural Grocers, and vegan-friendly restaurants of almost every cuisine, make it one of the best cities for vegans in the United States. Members of ASAP say their diets have improved since going vegan, since searching for plant-based recipes exposes them to options from different cultures. Dr. Harsini also notes that going vegan is one of the most effective choices an individual can make to reduce their environmental impact.
ASAP is focused on ending animal oppression. While their main goal is not necessarily to make the world go vegan, industry reform is not possible if consumers do not put pressure on factory farms to change. ASAP mainly reaches students by tabling on Speedway. They utilize several different approaches to catch their attention, including representatives with signs that say “Love animals? Come get a free cookie!” and others with elaborate “roast dog” displays to emphasize what they see as moral inconsistency. I originally thought there were multiple different vegan organizations on campus, but later found out that’s all ASAP — Harsini says while it’s important to try different approaches to reach as many people as possible, he has no problem with being graphic. People deserve to know the truth, even if it is grisly.
“There are actually gag laws to prevent people from seeing what happens to these animals. So the cruelty is hidden from you, and then you are always lied to,” Dr. Harsini said.
“So that makes good people go about their lives eating animal products without ever having to really question what's behind those farms — what's behind the slaughterhouses.”
Allied Scholars for Animal Protection