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Rider University in New Jersey has decided to bar fast-food chain Chick-fil-A from its campus “based on the company’s record widely perceived to be in opposition to the LGBTQ+ community.”
According to various reports, Rider University — which has about 5,500 students — removed Chick-Fil-A from a list of potential fast-food restaurants that could be added to the university’s campus in the near future.
Rider University officials say that the decision to remove the restaurant as one of the options based on the Chick-Fil-A’s “record widely perceived to be in opposition to the LGBTQ+ community.”
The decision comes despite the fact that the chicken sandwich restaurant was voted by the student’s as their top choice in a poll taken earlier this year.
Following the announcement of Rider University’s decision, Chick-Fil-A released a statement disputing the notion that they were a discriminatory company:
“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.”
Speaking to Campus Reform, junior political science major Julia Pickett said that while she doesn’t think the decision is fair, she understands that the choice is ultimately the school’s as it is a private university.
You can read the full statement from Gregory G. Dell’Omo, the President of Rider University, below, via Rider.edu:
Dear members of the Rider community,
A few weeks ago, we sent a survey to students to elicit feedback on options for bringing a new restaurant franchise to Rider. Although it was included in previous surveys, Chick-fil-A was removed as one of the options based on the company’s record widely perceived to be in opposition to the LGBTQ+ community.
That decision required a difficult assessment of competing interests. We sought to be thoughtful and fair in balancing the desire to provide satisfying options for a new on-campus restaurant while also being faithful to our values of inclusion.
The choices in this situation, like in so many others, were imperfect. They challenged us to reflect on our values and consider what kind of community we want to provide for those who live and learn at Rider University. Ultimately, we decided to lean in the direction of creating a welcoming environment where differences can be appreciated and where each individual can expect to experience dignity and respect.
We understand that some may view the decision as being just another form of exclusion. We want to be clear that this was not the spirit in which the decision was made. We fully acknowledge an organization’s right to hold these beliefs, just as we acknowledge the right for individuals in our community and elsewhere to also personally hold the same beliefs.
In many ways, this issue is one that goes beyond our decision and touches on a complex conversation taking place throughout the country. We believe this is a conversation worth having, and we encourage dialogue to take place where many individuals with different perspectives can engage one another respectfully. As an institution of higher learning, we believe strongly in the open exchange of ideas and positions — especially around a complex issue such as this one.
Because of that, we’ve asked Rider’s Center for Diversity and Inclusion to organize a campus forum so that the voices of students, faculty, staff and others can continue to be heard, and we can all grow from this experience. We will share more details when they become available.
Rider University is a tiny private college located in Lawrence Township, New Jersey with about 4,400 undergraduate students.
