Zachariah Krochina rarely eats at Holy Cow Café and isn’t even a student at the University. But he’s passionate enough about the eatery’s fate to have organized “Save the Cow,” a sit-in this afternoon in the EMU food court.
After 10 years in the EMU, Holy Cow’s tenure will end June 30. Because of a unanimous decision by a committee made up of five EMU employees and one University student, Holy Cow will be replaced by Laughing Planet Café, which has four locations in Portland and another at 760 Blair Blvd. in Eugene. Holy Cow is currently working on legally appealing the decision.
“I don’t eat at the café very often because I’m not on campus that much,” Krochina said. “I’m definitely a patron of the burritos at a lot of the local grocery stores, like Sundance, Kiva, Red Barn.”
Twenty-four-year-old Krochina, who has been a vegan for about a year after four years as a vegetarian, mostly just likes what Holy Cow, as a local business that is totally meat-free and committed to sustainability, stands for.
“I think one of the best things we could do for the planet is if everyone became a vegan or a vegetarian,” he said. “The meat industry is one of the biggest polluters and waste consumers of almost any industry.”
Krochina organized the sit-in, which will begin at noon, for the increased visibility brought on by “(disrupting) the monotony of the everyday routine.”
At A Glance
| Save the Cow, a sit-in demonstration in favor of keeping Holy Cow Café in the EMU, will take place at noon in the EMU food court. Save the Cow is also a costume contest; prizes will be awarded. |
“I know a lot of people who’ve written letters and it’s been very ineffective,” he said. “It seems like the administration has been able to ignore it or push it aside.”
Holy Cow Owner Kathee Lavine didn’t have anything to do with organizing the sit-in, but she said she’s glad to support it.
“This particular topic has galvanized enough students to feel like they have no say in their own student union, and that’s what it’s really about,” she said. “I’m just amazed at the outpouring of community support we’ve received.”
Save the Cow will include a costume contest because Krochina wants to emphasize that activism can be enjoyable.
“It’s not just about giving up things and standing up for the little guy; it’s also about having fun,” he said. “My hope is just to get a lot of people here and to get people excited about taking direct political action. (Save the Cow) is designed to make people feel empowered about hope and change they can help cause and be a part of.”
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