University blacklists Chick-Fil-A over Christian ‘corporate values’
Chick-Fil-A continues to thrive across the country, but liberals in high places remain bent on punishing it for refusing to embrace same-sex “marriage.”
Campus Reform reports that the popular chicken chain won a student survey of new meal options to bring to campus at private Rider University in New Jersey recently, but the powers-that-be dashed the student body’s hopes with an email claiming that the company’s “corporate values have not sufficiently progressed enough to align with those of Rider.”
The Associated Press (AP) adds that the school cited the “company's record widely perceived to be in opposition to the LGBTQ community,” and claimed that while excluding the option of Chick-Fil-A could be seen as a “form of exclusion,” administrators believe it’s acting “faithful to our values of inclusion.”
“It is important to me and to the University that all voices are heard,” Rider Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs Jan Friedman-Krupnick said in a statement to Campus Reform. “While Chick-fil-A is among other restaurants preferenced by Rider students, there are members of the community (faculty, staff, and students) who strongly opposed the option as well [...] we carefully weigh benefits, risks and voices representative of all of our campus constituents.”
Chick-fil-A is famously operated on the Christian principles of its national leadership, including closing on Sundays, listing “to glorify God” as part of its corporate purpose, and its active charitable arm. For years, liberals have boycotted the chain due to CEO Dan Cathy’s stated opposition to same-sex “marriage” and the company’s past donations to social conservative groups such as Family Research Council and Focus on the Family.
Despite Rider and other opponents’ insinuation that the company’s Christian conservatism translates to “excluding” or otherwise mistreating anyone, many homosexual employees and customers have attested to positive, welcoming experiences with Chick-fil-A.
On Tuesday, Chick-fil-A issued a statement to the AP addressing the controversy.
“Rider University’s survey was recently brought to our attention, and while we respect the University’s decision, this news story represents a good opportunity to clarify misperceptions about our brand,” it read. “Chick-fil-A is a restaurant company focused on food, service and hospitality, and our restaurants and licensed locations on college campuses welcome everyone. We have no policy of discrimination against any group, and we do not have a political or social agenda. More than 120,000 people from different backgrounds and beliefs represent the Chick-fil-A brand.”
Rider student Julia Pickett, president of the campus Young Americans for Liberty chapter, told Campus Reform she recognizes Rider’s right as a private institution to exclude Chick-Fil-A but considers the decision unfair.
“They sell chicken, so as far as I am concerned that should be the focus,” she said. "I think that the administration of Rider felt that having Chick-Fil-A on campus would cause unwanted controversy and felt that the easiest fix was to find another restaurant. I wish they would be honest about it though instead of trying to cover it as a deep offense to the school.”
Other institutions that have attempted to exclude Chick-Fil-A include Johns Hopkins University, Duquesne University, University of Nebraska Kearney, and the DICK’S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey are among the prominent figures who have condemned the company as beyond the pale.
