In the past few weeks I have learned two things: A singer would dare to lip-sync on “live” television, and horse slaughtering is a delicate and unfunny subject.

This week, I tried my hand at saving horses from slaughter by joining the National Student Horse Protection Coalition. The time to be unfunny has come.

Students started NSHPC this semester. They meet – no pun intended – every other Tuesday in DuSable Hall to discuss topics like the inhumane slaughter of horses or the movie “Black Beauty” – whatever gets their goat that week.

The topic of this week’s discussion: 10 things you need to know about horse slaughtering. I sat and intently listened to the barrage of information thrown at me, alongside 15 COMS 100 students who were all required to see a speech.

Of the 10 things about slaughtering, the last point jumped off the page: Humane euthanasia and carcass disposal are both highly affordable and widely available.

This proves if you have $80 and a horse you don’t want, there is a humane outlet to get rid of the horse.

“I have had love for horses since I was a kid and don’t believe in the inhumane slaughter of horses,” said sophomore education major Kristina Berry.

USDA records state 50,564 horses were killed in the U.S. for human consumption in 2003. But most Americans do not eat the horse meat – Europeans enjoy the majority of the horse burgers.

Members of the NSHPC are passionate about this issue.

“People should not overlook their responsibilities if they can act about the horse slaughtering issue. We want to promote a greater awareness on campus,” said senior psychology major Gwen Dodt.

“I joined this group because I’m trying to make a difference and to educate as many as possible,” said junior drawing major Kate Goodwillie.

Everyone has been on the highway and seen trailers hauling horses across the country. What most people do not know is those horses are likely on their way to the slaughtering plant for their final rites.

Point No. 6 on the evening’s list states that “transportation to the slaughter house is inhumane.” It is legal to haul horses in these trailers without food and water for 24 hours. It must be rough for those horses. It’s hard enough for me to go five minutes without a caramel Frappuccino.

I gathered that horse slaughtering is not acceptable, unless the horse is euthanized by a trained specialist as a last resort. I always thought you just needed to shoot a gun with blanks in the air just like in “Animal House” to humanely kill a horse. My mistake.

Right now, the NSHPC is trying to educate its members about horse slaughtering before they protest at the reopened plant in DeKalb. They do encourage becoming familiar with federal laws on the issue, contacting your local representative and writing letters to newspapers.

I left this meeting with a changed opinion about this issue. After weighing the pros and cons about the issue, preventing horse slaughter came out on top.

Preventing horse slaughter should be a priority because you never know what could happen: today horses, tomorrow poodles?

Columns reflect the opinion of the author and not necessarily that of the Northern Star.