Banners with graphic images of animals being mistreated stood alongside images of past human rights violations near Wells Hall on Tuesday.

The pictures were an exhibit created by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, as part of a 28-campus tour, said Sangeeta Kumar, a spokeswoman for the group.

PETA is an organization that advocates animal rights.

While most students looked at the display, some students stopped to talk about the images. Others took a pamphlet in passing.

The purpose of showing the images was to offer a shocking comparison of mindsets of oppression that allow individuals to treat other creatures this way, Kumar said.

"Mindsets like 'might makes right,' or that 'because you are different from me, you don't deserve the same consideration,' are what we are trying to change," Kumar said.

But Luke Pelican, the chairman of MSU Young Americans for Freedom, said he believes PETA's views are misguided because they see animals and humans as equals. The group is protesting the exhibit today, Pelican said.

"That's not to say that cruelty is OK, but people shouldn't have to change the way they live because of animals," Pelican said. "People should be able to eat meat and wear leather coats if they want."

PETA does not claim the mistreatment of animals is the same as the human rights violations of slavery, said social relations sophomore Stephanie Tabashneck.

"The same type of mindset that was used to put blacks into slavery is still around today," said Tabashneck, a member of MSU's Students Promoting Animal Rights, or SPAR, a group that assisted with the exhibit.

The group is only about 1 month old and has about 25 members. In addition to this event, the group is advocating for more vegetarian options in the campus' cafeterias, she said.

Tabashneck added that the nature of the exhibit was a cause for some concern when first hearing about PETA's campaign.

"I was afraid that some people might take it the wrong way," she said.

The exhibit had received a positive response from students. SPAR collected almost five pages of e-mails from those interested in receiving more information, Tabashneck said.

The display featured a quote from author Alice Walker that read, "The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for whites or women for men."

When she saw the exhibit, social relations sophomore Megan Wells was initially shocked, but said she believes the exhibit serves a good purpose.

"A lot of people don't even know that these things are happening," Wells said.

International relations sophomore Arupa Barua's attention was drawn by the pictures and she stopped to talk.

"These images show similarities between animal cruelty and slavery," Barua said. "Americans need to be educated on this issue."

However, genetics graduate student Trevor Wagner said the comparison is inaccurate.

"I think it is a stretch to equate slavery to animal mistreatment," Wagner said.