On SGA Executive Vice President Connor O’Donnell’s desk, there sits a resolution. Drafted and submitted by Spectrum, Elon University’s queer-straight alliance, it opposes Chick-fil-A’s presence on campus and asserts the need for its removal. The resolution will remain on O’Donnell’s desk for two weeks to allow students to read and review it.
Chick-fil-A has been in the national spotlight since mid-July, when President and Chief Operating Officer Dan Cathy publicly voiced his support for “the biblical definition of a family unit,” or in other words, his opposition to gay marriage and civil unions. His comment incited protests and rallies and generated discussion about First Amendment rights. It also drew attention to Chick-fil-A’s support of many prominent Christian organizations through the WinShape Foundation, the franchise’s charitable branch. Several of these groups publicly denounce homosexuality, including the Research Family Council and Exodus International.
Kirstin Ringelberg, LGBTQ office coordinator and associate professor of art history, said Spectrum’s resolution to remove Chick-fil-A from campus is a response to its support of anti-gay organizations, not Cathy’s statement.
“A lot of us have known about Chick-fil-A’s donations for a long time, but because there wasn’t national attention, it was hard to get other students involved and interested,” she said. “I am not particularly concerned with Dan Cathy’s statements. A lot of people think he has a right to his opinions. That’s his business, not mine.”
Spectrum argues Elon’s support of Chick-fil-A does not align with the university’s commitment to fostering an inclusive campus environment.
“There is a conversation to be had with ARAMARK directly,” Ringelberg said. “Elon has not just a right, but a responsibility not to do business with companies that are not meeting our discrimination policies on campus.”
Members of Spectrum are exploring other retail outlets to take the place of Chick-fil-A.
“There is an extensive list of companies that ARAMARK partners with,” said senior Emily Kane, an education and advocacy chair for Spectrum. “We’re definitely going to propose an alternative.”
But some students don’t want an alternative.
“I support equal rights for everyone across the board, but that doesn’t affect whether I want a chicken sandwich for lunch,” said freshman Alex Francis. “If you don’t support the corporation, you don’t have to support it, but I think people are very quick to boycott things now, and I feel that it gets taken a little too far sometimes.”
Sophomore George Smith said he isn’t sure if Elon’s relationship with Chick-fil-A goes against the university’s discrimination policy.
“Some people are going to support that argument, and some people are going to disagree with that,” Smith said. “There’s too much of a weird gap there. It’s not black and white by any means.”
Although the university is considering implementing a full service Chick-fil-A in the new Lakeside Dining Hall, scheduled to open this January, the decision won’t be made until the student body further discusses the issue, said Smith Jackson, vice president and dean of Student Life.
“This is not something we wanted to make a unilateral decision on,” he said. “There are a lot of good opportunities for discussion. There are so many issues around this. Freedom of speech. Religious issues. Political issues. Financial issues. It’s important to allow these things to bubble up.”
Jackson said he and Chaplain Jan Fuller discussed hosting a panel to examine the underlying religious issues surrounding the Chick-fil-A controversy, but the idea is not final.
“This is the first major stimulus to the discussion,” Jackson said. “We have to see how this will unfold.”
The debate over Chick-fil-A is unfolding on other college campuses, too. Some schools, such as St. Mary’s College of Maryland and Duke University, ended the discussion by severing ties with the franchise. But other universities, like Appalachian State and Southern Mississippi, have yet to reach a conclusion.
If Elon resolved to give Chick-fil-A the boot, its removal would be contractually feasible, Jackson said.
“This is something very important to a lot of people,” he said. “We ultimately will have to decide.”
Elon students will have the opportunity to weigh in on the issue Sept. 27 during an open forum held by SGA to discuss the proposed legislation. The senate will vote for or against the resolution after the forum.
“It will be interesting to see how many people come,” Jackson said. “We want to hear peoples’ views on this.”