Students aren’t allowing Chick-fil-A to lay any eggs in the Falcon’s Nest anytime soon.
The Graduate Student Senate voted down the company at its Friday meeting and the Undergraduate Student Government did the same at its Monday meeting after Chick-fil-A started stirring up controversy for being considered “anti-gay.” Each organization voted to disapprove of the company if it were to open in the Union next fall and to remove it from a student survey of possible campus food options.
“Everybody got what they wanted at the end of the day,” said Mike Paulus, director of Dining Services. “More students are now aware of the issue, as they should be.”
In response, Dining Services is now compiling a survey of food categories rather than brand names, which will result in new restaurants opening in the Falcon’s Nest this fall. The survey may be out by the end of this week and will include 14 different categories such as chicken, Italian and Mexican.
Although Chick-fil-A is no longer an option, students will likely request some sort of chicken option via the survey, Paulus said.
“Chicken will rank very highly,” Paulus said. “It’s a missing component on this campus.”
Dining Services is now considering other chicken options, including one from Chartwells called Chickendipity, Paulus said. Chartwells is the company that provides food services at the University through Dining Services.
Students and faculty, including members of the University’s LGBT community, attended GSS’s meeting Friday and filled the room at USG’s meeting Monday, where Chick-fil-A was discussed.
Tobias Spears, assistant director in the Office of Multicultural Affairs, attended the meetings and said he is “ecstatic” that so many students came to voice their opinions on the company.
“To see the enthusiasm and passion was moving,” Spears said. “It became something of an educational process.”
Like Spears, GSS President David Sleasman said he believes the controversy surrounding Chick-fil-A has become something of an educational experience, something needed when an issue like this erupts on campus.
“There’s an education piece to it,” Sleasman said. “You have to ask ‘does the sandwich outweigh it being offensive to somebody?'”
While student meetings concerning Chick-fil-A may be finished, student representatives like Sleasman and USG President Emily Ancinec are still discussing the results and working with students to figure out what will hatch in the Union next fall.
“I thought it was good that people came out to the meeting,” Ancinec said. “I really appreciated it.”
While USG unanimously voted to disapprove of Chick-fil-A as an option on campus, if Chick-fil-A was still placed on the survey and voted into the Union by students, USG would likely regroup to figure out what to do, Ancinec said.
“We would probably have to include something in a resolution, but I’m not sure,” Ancinec said. “We would probably need to talk to the administration about why they didn’t consider our decision.”
Despite USG having completed its vote concerning Chick-fil-A, Ancinec is unsure of its ongoing role in the selection of new food options in the Union.
“I’m not sure what the next step is,” Ancinec said. “I guess it would be up to our senators who work with the Dining Advisory Board.”
Although some students may still be unsure about Chick-fil-A’s fate on campus, Paulus is determined to find a different chicken option for students, following the decisions of USG and GSS.
“I’ll either create something or find a brand that you’ll love,” Paulus said.
