Student activists at Duquesne University are fearful over plans to install a Chick-Fil-A in the school’s dining hall, claiming it will put their “safe place at risk.”
Students at Duquesne University are concerned over plans to bring Chick-Fil-A to their campus, citing concerns that the fast food chain’s upper management have publicly campaigned against gay marriage rights in the United States.
“Chick-fil-A has a questionable history on civil rights and human rights,” Duquesne Student Senator Niko Martini remarked in a statement to The Duquesne Duke. “I think it’s imperative [that] the university chooses to do business with organizations that coincide with the [university’s] mission and expectations they give students regarding diversity and inclusion.”
Rachel Coury, the president of Duquesne’s Gay-Straight Alliance organization, claims that Chick-Fil-A’s presence on campus will make some students feel unsafe.
“I’ve tried very hard within the last semester and a half to promote this safe environment for the LGBTQ community. So I fear that with the Chick-fil-A being in Options [an on-campus food court] that maybe people will feel that safe place is at risk,” Rachel Coury explained, adding that at the very least her organization would like “someone” to “make a statement” on the issue.
Duquesne administrators are taking the student’s concerns seriously. “Lambda’s leadership met recently with Auxiliary Services to share their concerns regarding Chick-Fil-A’s corporate position on LGTBQIA+ issues,” said Alia Pustorino-Clevenger, director for student life assessment and co-curricular community engagement, and also the Gay-Straight Alliance’s faculty advisor. “They will continue to have meetings in the upcoming weeks with Auxiliary Services and Parkhurst to address this matter further.”
Duquesne’s student government president Olivia Erickson also claimed that she takes “this concern very seriously,” and that she is working with the student government on “gathering students’ opinions and getting all the facts we can so we can make the best decision.”
Tom Ciccotta is a libertarian who writes about economics and higher education for Breitbart News. You can follow him on Twitter @tciccotta or email him at tciccotta@breitbart.com
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