Junior art student Jennifer Gruettner wanted to draw inspiration from observing the inner workings of a slaughterhouse.

At least that’s the explanation she gave the officials of a meat factory outside Oshkosh when she requested to bring a video camera into their business in February.

While her art major was genuine, Gruettner recorded nearly two hours of footage for more than just inspiration.

Spurred by both her love for animals and the slaughterhouse footage, Gruettner, a vegetarian of six years, founded the Student Coalition for Animal Rights after transferring from UW-Fox Valley.

Covering a broad range of animal rights topics, the main focus of SCAR is to educate people about what happens to animals on factory farms, she said.

“Everyone assumes animals are quickly dispatched,” Gruettner said about meat processing.

But she said her footage showed situations where conditions were less than humane.

“It really made me feel motivated to do something,” she said.

In general, Gruettner feels students at UW-Eau Claire lack knowledge about animal rights.

“It’s kind of something (students) just kind of push to the back of their minds,” she said. “It’s weird how people don’t think about it because it’s something you deal with just about every day, every time you sit for a meal.”

Along with increasing awareness, Gruettner said she hopes to increase vegetarian options on the campus menu and, although no plans have been set, possibly volunteer at local animal shelters.

Lauren Evans, director of the Eau Claire County Humane Association, expressed excitement about the organization.

“I think it’s great that students are becoming involved in that area,” she said. “From a college student standpoint, there’s obviously a lot of animal lovers out there.

“That’s definitely one age group that we try to target.”

Out of the average 2,000 to 2,500 animals that arrive at the center annually, 5 percent are “pulled” from situations of neglect or abuse, Evans said.

Neglect and abuse are some of the conditions Gruettner hopes to summarize with the organization’s acronym, SCAR.

“I guess I wanted to have a meaningful acronym because it draws interest,” she said.

“When you think of SCAR, it sounds like a nasty word. You think scar – you think blood.”

While SCAR is still in its infancy, Gruettner said she hopes to dispel what she says are negative feelings toward animal rights organizations, caused by extremist sects, and other stereotypes.

“Because there’s a crazy sect out there that bombs buildings, we’re now all ‘terrorists,’ ” she said.

Along with changes in the public’s view of animal rights organizations, Gruettner also wants to dispel the notion that being a vegetarian is a prerequisite for joining a group such as SCAR.

“I want to get rid of the stigma that if you’re going to join an animal rights’ club you have to be a vegetarian,” she said.

“That’s not a prerequisite for the club, just as long as you care about how animals are being treated.”