N.C. college considers Chick-fil-A ban
(Associated Press)
(Updated 7:18 p.m.)
A high-priced North Carolina liberal arts college is considering kicking Chick-fil-A off campus because of the Atlanta-based company’s leader’s position on marriage.
Several months after they were made, comments by Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy in support of traditional marriage between a man and woman continue to reverberate. Earlier this month Cathy reaffirmed his commitment to “biblical families.”
The Student Government Association at Elon, a $38,000-a-year private college in north-central North Carolina, recently voted in favor of a resolution asking administrators to stop offering Chick-fil-A sandwiches on campus, according to The Times-News newspaper.
“We are honored to serve the students, faculty and staff of Elon University and to be a part of their campus,” said Chick-fil-A spokesman Jerry Johnston in a statement Wednesday. “The Chick-fil-A culture and 66-year service tradition in all of its locations is to treat every person with honor, dignity and respect – regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender. Our intent is not to engage in political or social debates.”
The Elon resolution, drafted by a campus gay-straight alliance, accuses the company of not being in compliance with Elon’s anti-discrimination policy, partly because critics say the company has funded groups considered to be anti-gay and lesbian.
The 35-11 SGA vote was made despite overwhelming support for Chick-fil-A by Elon students, alumni faculty and staff, according to a poll conducted by the student newspaper, The Pendulum, which supports keeping Chick-fil-A sandwiches on campus.
Chick-fil-A’s contract is with Aramark, Elon’s food service vendor. A university spokesman told The Times-News the college could instruct Aramark to find another vendor, but no decision has been made.
Whether Chick-fil-A is eventually dropped, however, is another matter. While many colleges have seen student protests and petitions against Chick-fil-A in the wake of Cathy’s comments, few have instituted an outright ban on the company’s sandwiches.
Elon, founded in 1889, has an enrollment of about 4,000 and ranks No. 2 among Southern universities in U.S. News & World Report’s 2013 America’s Best Colleges Guide.”
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175 comments Add your comment
Dasher
October 17th, 2012
2:00 pm
I love how people claim to be open-minded, then get all upset that someone dares to hold a different view of things.
JacobHall86
October 17th, 2012
2:05 pm
I think it’s interesting that a majority of the people NOT on the SGA support ChickFilA on campus.
Pat
October 17th, 2012
2:16 pm
You may want to edit this…
This is how it is
October 17th, 2012
2:25 pm
So close that ChickFilA and open one on Bob Jones campus… Big deal…
Mark Richt
October 17th, 2012
2:27 pm
Elon isn’t even an FBS school. Who cares what they do. Go Dawgs!
Tag
October 17th, 2012
2:30 pm
There are a lot of different views/people in the world.
That’s the american way and the way of the world.
I support both parties rights to their views.
Bill
October 17th, 2012
2:39 pm
What does that say for U North Carolina? So now they want to take our Constitutional rights if they don’t agree..BS.
Stuart
October 17th, 2012
2:41 pm
Such hypocrisy in our world. The group that is slighted always shows its self as not being that much better.
3d
October 17th, 2012
2:43 pm
Churchill said if you’re not liberal when you’re 20 you have no heart and not conservative when you’re 40 you have no brain.
If the shoe fits.
king of mean
October 17th, 2012
2:45 pm
I love how all have to cow-tow to the few.
here’s a novel idea – if you disagree with a franchise’s position on an issue, simply don’t go there. take your $ somewhere else.
there are kids on that campus that love waffle fries and fried chicken sandwiches that could care less about either side you’re on. they just want a decent, fairly priced meal.
Opinion
October 17th, 2012
2:45 pm
Get Real. So I guess that gays and lesbians only eat at establishments with owners that support same sex marriage. I THINK NOT. Get over yourself, if you think everyone must agree with you and you can never have someone oppose your views.
skipper
October 17th, 2012
2:45 pm
Crap like this only makes straights detest gays even more………..their agenda is the only agenda.
Steve
October 17th, 2012
2:46 pm
Only a UGA fan would use an academic institution’s football classification to determine merit. Stay classy Dawgs.
Mark Richt
October 17th, 2012
2:27 pm
Elon isn’t even an FBS school. Who cares what they do. Go Dawgs!
Bobby
October 17th, 2012
2:46 pm
It would be nice if Georgia Tech would ban CFA on campus. CFA simply supports the idea that all Southerners are rednecks and drink blue ribbon beer. To Hell With Georgia and CFA too!
HADLEY
October 17th, 2012
2:47 pm
Enter your comments here
Billy
October 17th, 2012
2:50 pm
Leftists are hypocrites. I’ve got a flash for you liberals: “There is NO counsel against the Lord.” Whatever you do, whatever you think, you’ll always be wrong on the subject at hand, and I’m not talking about chicken sandwiches. Read the first chapter of Romans for spiritual guidance on the subject…
sonria
October 17th, 2012
2:50 pm
Bill @ 2:39 pm — re-read the article. Elon is a PRIVATE college and not associated with the UNC system. They’re also known in NC for being unusually progressive; conservatives need not apply. I’m hardly surprised to see this though disappointed that the SGA won’t listen to the voices of the students, the majority of whom WANT Chick-Fil-A.
Lefty
October 17th, 2012
2:51 pm
Bill – what constitutional right are “they” trying to take away? Unless I missed the amendment that says that as citizens of the U.S. we are entitled to mediocre, fast food chicken sandwiches, what you said makes absolutely no sense, and I really hope you don’t vote.
AtlSteve
October 17th, 2012
2:52 pm
Sounds like the SGA is walking instep with the desires of the students, faculty, & staff.
Typical Redneck
October 17th, 2012
2:55 pm
Steve, I think it was meant to be humorous.
GIVE ME A BREAK
October 17th, 2012
2:55 pm
Their dispute is with the Bible not Cathy. Read the book of Genesis.
John Wayne
October 17th, 2012
2:58 pm
Whether anyone will admit it or not this country was founded and built on the principles of the ten commandments. I am not one to go throw around religion but the truth is the truth. This world is in a mess and this country because we have gotten away from morals and values. I respect what others believe but I expect them to respect my views also. In God we Trust is the rock of this country.
Tech Man
October 17th, 2012
3:01 pm
Eat More Chicken!
HADLEY
October 17th, 2012
3:04 pm
So if I say I support gay marriage and give money to support their cause, does that make me discriminatory towards traditional marriage? I’m sure it doesn’t. Why? Because it shines a negative light on a lifestyle that has been allowed to take on many forms of victimization. At the same time those who “CHOOSE” that lifestyle can be just as discriminatory by limiting others access to things just because others are in conflict with it. As the scripture goes, which I’m sure some will “CHOOSE” to ignore, “Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?”
HADLEY
October 17th, 2012
3:05 pm
Not coincidently, I am John Wayne fan!
joe
October 17th, 2012
3:07 pm
What’s wrong with the Elon SGA? For starters, the G. Nothing good ever begins with government. These libs in training are in for a rude awakening once their days as students are over. The world does not function like your liberal professors teach you to believe. The real world not only hurts at times, it slaps back. Don’t rely on government for anything…rely on yourself.
Big ED
October 17th, 2012
3:07 pm
I do support Chick-fil-a on what they have belive to. Because the bible do tell the turth. They have the same freedom to what they belive too. let not take that away from the American people, the freem of Relegon. And I will alway support those that keep the bible meaning.
TBone
October 17th, 2012
3:10 pm
I think the tactics employed by the GLBT groups are short sighted and counter-productive in the end but they seem more interested in just keeping their causes (misguided as they are) in the news. I guess any news is good news to some regardless of the substance. Some folks believe that marriage (between a man and a woman) as an institution has served society well for many years and doesn’t need to be redefined for the purposes of rescuing some folks identity and purpose.
Crickett
October 17th, 2012
3:10 pm
The gays are angry and mad at the world. Now they want to get back at straght people and bully their agenda down our throats.
Junior Samples
October 17th, 2012
3:11 pm
liberals are a very tolerant bunch…until you disagree with them. Geez
Mountain Man
October 17th, 2012
3:15 pm
What the hell is an Elon? Roll Tide!!!!! SOL… Snicker Out Loud!
AW
October 17th, 2012
3:15 pm
What is this teaching our college kids? If you don’t like something in life you simply need to start a petition, get ‘enough’ people to sign it and then march it up to someone’s office and demand they do something about it. Yeah, that’s how real life works….NOT. When will the healthy eater’s of the world unite and run Dominos out of town? If you don’t like something vote with your feet (like a previous poster said) and spend your $ elsewhere. Sheesh…have to admin I’m jealous of how much time some of these folks have on their hands.
The Man
October 17th, 2012
3:18 pm
Man I use to date a fine girl from that school. Yea she was liberal but she was fine so I put up with her weird ways. Sometimes you gotta sacrifice…the fellas know what I am talking about. What happen to freedom of choice??? Come on liberals give me a break!!!!
veemmmgee
October 17th, 2012
3:21 pm
@Bobby – this CFA fan doesn’t like blue ribbon beer, and doesn’t have a red neck. You must have scored high in Arrogance 101 your first semester at Georgia Tech.
are you kidding me......
October 17th, 2012
3:22 pm
No wonder these kids cant get a job after graduating….is this all they have to worry about??? Just dont buy the product….duh…
nofreecheese
October 17th, 2012
3:22 pm
The open-minded left; when they say something offensive it’s free speech; when someone says something contrary to their beliefs it’s hate speech. Truett Cathy has never judged or discriminated against anybody! He simply has a set of beliefs which he promotes and beilieves in; he has never tried to impose them.
If I personally find abortion barbaric, but never try to impose this belief on women, nor try to support legislation or judicial decisions restricting abortion, I suppose I would be considered morally defective by the left b/c I don’t want to fund them.
The point is that the left isn’t content w/ the right to do something; they want absolute and total capitulation and financial support of their beliefs.
John Hicks
October 17th, 2012
3:23 pm
Eat More Chicken! Not each other .
Guido
October 17th, 2012
3:24 pm
‘The 35-11 SGA vote was made despite overwhelming support for Chick-fil-A by Elon students…’
Sounds like the Elon student government is adhering to closely-held liberal values: “we don’t care what our constituents want and believe, because government knows what’s best for you”.
SBinF
October 17th, 2012
3:24 pm
“Whether anyone will admit it or not this country was founded and built on the principles of the ten commandments. I am not one to go throw around religion but the truth is the truth. This world is in a mess and this country because we have gotten away from morals and values. I respect what others believe but I expect them to respect my views also. In God we Trust is the rock of this country.”
You should really read up on the religious views of the founding fathers. You might be very surprised.
Chris
October 17th, 2012
3:29 pm
Pat is right…
**A** (sp) high-priced North Carolina liberal arts college is considering kicking Chick-fil-A off campus because of the Atlanta-based company leader’s position on marriage.
kady
October 17th, 2012
3:30 pm
You want them off campus? Just don’t eat their food – no profit – they will leave…lol…you people are so narrow minded…
RDU
October 17th, 2012
3:36 pm
Elon is a private college and is not part of the UNC system. It is known as one of the easiest colleges to get into, for rich parents that insist their drug addicted lazy heirs to the family business get a degree.
I guess now it is also a school for wealthy gays and wannabes to feel powerful and important. The rest student body could care less who represents them, they just have the munchies.
Liberals are so open minded that their brains have fallen out!
Wilbur
October 17th, 2012
3:37 pm
So a few of the “elites” want to use their power to force an outcome that the majority of the students don’t support or agree with. Moreover, this desire to use their power arises out of a personal conviction that has nothing to do with the school or its purposes.
How often we see liberals use this same line of thinking as a few of the so-called elites try to jam their opinions on the rest of us. As one of my young liberal friends said with a straight face “in a democracy, sometimes a few of us need to decide what is best for all of us”.
Perhaps we should divide the group into gatherers and sharers so everyone will know their place.
Andy O
October 17th, 2012
3:39 pm
I keep waiting for someone to file a suit because they are too dumb to get in to college and therefore they are being discriminated against.
James
October 17th, 2012
3:41 pm
-Good for Elon. I hope there is a similar uproar when the Chick fil a Bowl tries to become one of the contract and playoff rotation bowls in 2014. You have the right to say what you want, but people have the right to boycott you and/or ask the college presidents to choose another bowl instead.
BG
October 17th, 2012
3:43 pm
I guess freedom of speech does not apply to Chic-fil-A or it’s owner.
aon
October 17th, 2012
3:44 pm
I love the fact that they are “considering” taking Chick-fil-A off of the campus. @ Give Me A Break – if their dispute is with the Bible then what is there to “consider”. Just close it down. @ Junior Samples – AMEN! At the end of the day I’m sure God is just fine with us all enjoying a great Chick-fil-a every now and then!
True Christian
October 17th, 2012
3:44 pm
This is so typical. Liberals claim to be tolerant, but they won’t tolerate my intolerance. They are such Hippocrates!
Big Al
October 17th, 2012
3:44 pm
The Bible thumpers have been on the wrong side of history for years. Nothing new here.
Employer
October 17th, 2012
3:46 pm
That’s cool with me. I just banned Elon grads from working at my company. Bans work in both directions.
Billy Ray
October 17th, 2012
3:48 pm
Elon: rich, white, dumb college kids with nothing better to do. All kids should be made to work, serve in the military or volunteer for the Peace Corps for a year or two before they are allowed to go to college.
True Christian
October 17th, 2012
3:49 pm
Gays want to force their agenda down our throats. I know the gay agenda because I frequently attend gay bars to minister to those poor, lost souls. Once I went in the bathroom and it was there that I saw the this throat forcing agenda on full display. I know what you’re thinking, but I only went in there to ask for directions on how to get away from there!
Mustang100
October 17th, 2012
3:50 pm
Key operating word here: arts college. Big deal. So open up a Church’s instead.
Big Al
October 17th, 2012
3:51 pm
Ain’t this sight. Look who’s talking.
Mustang100
October 17th, 2012
3:51 pm
Should read ‘LIBERAL’. Sorry.
Monty
October 17th, 2012
3:51 pm
@ RDU
I’m seeing a lot of class envy there. Just because your parents didn’t have the money to send you to Elon, you just want to bash those that through their hard work and effort were able to send their children to college.
Maybe instead of complaining about rich kids, you should get a job? But you won’t, you just want Obama to give your kids a free education that they did not earn. Typical lib.
LOL for James
October 17th, 2012
3:52 pm
**You have the right to say what you want, but people have the right to boycott you and/or ask the college presidents to choose another bowl instead.**
News Flash – the last Chic fil A boycott was an epic fail. Plus, there aren’t that many gay people supporting college football.
Big Al
October 17th, 2012
3:54 pm
College libraries need to put the Bible on the FICTION shelf where it belongs.
RDU
October 17th, 2012
3:58 pm
Monty. Class envy? I don’t have a problem with wealth, it’s the drugs that I have a problem with. When I registered to vote in NC, you had to pick a party. I picked Republican, and still do.
MJ
October 17th, 2012
3:59 pm
ITS SOMETHING GAYS GET PRAISED FOR WHAT THEY BELIEVE IN AND CHRISTIANS GET MOCKED FOR WHAT THEY BELIEVE IN. I JUST HOPE THIS COLLEGE NEVER OPENS A MUSLIM, JEWISH OR BUDDHIST BASED ESTABLISHMENTS. IF IT WAS ANY OTHER FAITH THIS WOULDNT HAD BEEN A PROBLEM BUT THIS ATTACK ON THE CHRISTIAN FAITH BECAUSE ONE MAN STOOD UP FOR WHAT HE BELIEVES IN IS ABSURD. GO AHEAD CLOSE THE CHICK FILA AT THAT STUPID COLLEGE. CHICK FILA WILL BE JUST FINE WITHOUT YOU. IF THEY WASNT DOING FINE THEY WOULD BE OPEN ON SUNDAYS
Brad
October 17th, 2012
4:00 pm
Something is definitely amiss with that number 2 ranking for Elon.
John
October 17th, 2012
4:02 pm
I find it ironic that this school was founded by the Christian Church and up until 2000, the mascot of Elon was the Fighting Christian. This is another example of a minority of people (SGA) speaking on the behalf of the majority of students in error and ignorance.
Rich Black
October 17th, 2012
4:03 pm
Chick fil a sucks.
The Bystander
October 17th, 2012
4:05 pm
Chick-fil-A should pull it products from the campus. Then all the other students can get pissed at the SGA
@ Big Al
October 17th, 2012
4:08 pm
The wrong side of history … for years? When did gays and lesbians begin emaculate conception and start reproducing? Two wrongs don’t make it right!
shocked
October 17th, 2012
4:09 pm
Here is whats so great about this:
“Elon College was founded by the Christian Church, which later became a part of the United Church of Christ. The charter for Elon College was issued by the North Carolina legislature in 1889.”
and this:
“Up until 2000, the mascot of Elon was the Fighting Christians”
blkshepherd
October 17th, 2012
4:09 pm
Hmm..I neither support or am against gay marriage. I dont care if you marry a FROG. People can marry whomever they choose. Its None of my affair. Gays getting married will neither put a raise or my paycheck nor decrease it anyway. I still own my home and car and still am employed. So I am neither for or against gays getting married. I just dont give a rat’s ass.
Chick-fil-a
One of the nastiest tasting food chains I have ever had the displeasure of eating. If someone held a gun to my head and demanded that I tell them the Last time I ate at Chick-fil-A. They would have to pull the trigger. I pass by it daily and would rather eat at any other resturant than Chick
However they do have decent Milk shakes. But thats about it. I stopped eating at Chick Long before their stance on Gay marriage. So it had nothing to do with that issue. I just dont care for its product. The food tastes like crap.
FA$$OT
October 17th, 2012
4:10 pm
So the gay pervs have zero tolerance and despite overwhelming support of students and faculty they rule? Kinda like stats show they are less than 1% of the US population yet are always in the news demanding more rights
Really
October 17th, 2012
4:10 pm
The devil could make Chick-Fil-A sandwhiches and I would still eat there.
Monty
October 17th, 2012
4:11 pm
@RDU
Alright then. It’s good that you are not envious of the many people that have more wealth than you. When you complained about rich kids I thought you were a secret lib.
Dave
October 17th, 2012
4:13 pm
So if Chick-fil-A supported slavery and that was their opinion based on their interpretation of the Bible, I wonder if anyone would have a problem with that since it’s just an opinion and according to all the comments, they have a right to their opinion.
BILLY MAYS HERE
October 17th, 2012
4:15 pm
Employer
October 17th, 2012
3:46 pm
That’s cool with me. I just banned Elon grads from working at my company. Bans work in both directions.
C’mon man you’re not fooling anyone and you’re stealing time
Sasquatch
October 17th, 2012
4:15 pm
I will kick them elon dorks over the big chicken.
Braves #17 Fan
October 17th, 2012
4:15 pm
Chick Fil A. Way to stand strong and have a backbone through all of this. You are to be commended. Just don’t let them rattle you here. When it’s not happy hour at Steak-n-Shake, I go to Chick Fil A for my strawberry shake.
BILLY MAYS HERE
October 17th, 2012
4:16 pm
Billy Ray
October 17th, 2012
3:48 pm
Elon: rich, white, dumb college kids with nothing better to do. All kids should be made to work, serve in the military or volunteer for the Peace Corps for a year or two before they are allowed to go to college.
Yes America the freest nation on Earth should force people to be in the military. How did you get that stupid?
BILLY MAYS HERE
October 17th, 2012
4:16 pm
Braves #17 Fan
October 17th, 2012
4:15 pm
Chick Fil A. Way to stand strong and have a backbone through all of this. You are to be commended. Just don’t let them rattle you here. When it’s not happy hour at Steak-n-Shake, I go to Chick Fil A for my strawberry shake.
Enjoy diabetes fatso
GJ
October 17th, 2012
4:17 pm
We are open minded….unless you disagree with us!
BILLY MAYS HERE
October 17th, 2012
4:17 pm
FA$$OT
October 17th, 2012
4:10 pm
So the gay pervs have zero tolerance and despite overwhelming support of students and faculty they rule? Kinda like stats show they are less than 1% of the US population yet are always in the news demanding more rights
LGBT people don’t demand more rights, they demand equal rights.
BILLY MAYS HERE
October 17th, 2012
4:18 pm
GJ
October 17th, 2012
4:17 pm
We are open minded….unless you disagree with us!
Hey guys, you’re not being very tolerant of our zealotry and bigotry! Ha! Ha! Aren’t you libs quite the hypocrites, eh? Eh?
Really
October 17th, 2012
4:21 pm
“We thought the Crusades were a grand idea.”
The Christians
alex
October 17th, 2012
4:23 pm
The most close-minded people in America are liberals.
Elon Grad
October 17th, 2012
4:27 pm
Wow to some of these comments.
For starters, Elon is not an “easy” college to get into; public state schools, for in-state students, are easy to get into. Elon now receives over 10,000 applications nation-wide for an incoming freshman class of roughly 1,200, and currently the average GPA of incoming students is a 4.0 (as in, straight A average). Use your common sense; those are NOT the statistics of a safety school with “dumb” kids.
Second, suddenly protesting, a Constitutionally protected, essential right for every American, amounts to “nothing better to do”? I suppose all the protests that occurred in American history (see, the Boston tea party, Civil Rights) were largely the product of those with “nothing better to do”? Imagine where this country would be if its citizens didn’t exercise this (very legal) right, and instead found “something better to do.”
This protest amounted to Elon granting ALL of its students, regardless of social status, the right to determine a matter that has increasingly become a large public matter. That’s what a good, social-minded university does, instead of ignoring the complaints of those who disagree. But of course, putting one’s fingers in one’s ears and ignoring the protestations of society is your average conservative’s idea of a perfect, utopian society, so I can’t say I’m surprised to read the comments of those who find what Elon did offensive.
It’s a shame this story couldn’t receive decent comments to it without any that devolve into pity race and sexual preference baiting, but that’s how Georgia politics operate these days. Opening up the floor to discussion, rather than blindly continuing the status quo, should be the rule, not the exception, today, but sadly that’s simply not likely.
Drudge
October 17th, 2012
4:28 pm
Private property – that is their right if they please. If you are an Elon grad and a conservative – let them know why you aren’t sending your check this year. My alma hosted an Obama event and I told them they obviously didn’t need my money, get it from Barack and Michelle.
BILLY MAYS HERE
October 17th, 2012
4:30 pm
alex
October 17th, 2012
4:23 pm
The most close-minded people in America are liberals.
Categorically wrong. You’re just butthurt because we call our your rampant bigotry. But you can can change and be a better person.
BILLY MAYS HERE
October 17th, 2012
4:31 pm
Drudge
October 17th, 2012
4:28 pm
Private property – that is their right if they please. If you are an Elon grad and a conservative – let them know why you aren’t sending your check this year. My alma hosted an Obama event and I told them they obviously didn’t need my money, get it from Barack and Michelle.
I bet Elon is very, very concerned about your insidious plan.
BILLY MAYS HERE
October 17th, 2012
4:33 pm
By the way y’all, the correct expression is closed-minded. Not “close-minded.” Closed. At least try to know what you’re saying before you mash out another untrue reactionary talking point.
fed up
October 17th, 2012
4:38 pm
Liberals are the worst hypocrites. If someone doesn’t agree with their world view then they ridicule, name call and worse. In this case their goal is to close down a business where presumedly some of their classmates work. All they really have to do is stop eating there. As someone has already pointed out, if enough people stop dining at this location Chic Fil A will close it themselves. My bet is this is a few outspoken left wingers who want to enforce their ideology on everyone around them and Chick Fil A will continue to do just fine. It is an excellent fast food restaurant.
Good luck to these kids finding a job someday. Karma will not be on their side.
Elon, seriously?
October 17th, 2012
4:38 pm
The funniest part of the article is that parents are paying 38 smackaroos a year for their kids to get social services and cultural studies degrees from a school the rest of the planet never heard of. Good luck with that–Jobs at Chick-fil-A may be all the work they can find. “Would you like waffle fries with that?”
Abe Froman
October 17th, 2012
4:39 pm
Wow. Political discourse is getting more and more discorded. On average, does every Chick-Fil-A operator have the same political views as Dan Cathy? If not, why punish them? On average, blacks commit more crimes than any other race in the USA. Does that mean we should treat every black as a potential criminal? Here’s the rub – liberals and kids (private school college students) treat everything as a collective and try to act against the ‘machine’. Individuals should be able to make decisions whether or not to eat at Chick-Fil-A or somewhere else.
As a heterosexual, I support gay marriage. Why not allow gays that are in exclusive and long relationships be married? On the flip side, I shun the homosexual agenda that forces colleges like Elon (against the will of it’s students) to make a political statement by punishing a company due to it’s CEO’s exercise of free speech.
atowndown
October 17th, 2012
4:41 pm
Will you right wing religous nutjob’s bring please stop forcing your agenda down everyone’s throats? Why can’t you just be secure that you are correct in your beliefs and let everyone else be wrong? Stop trying to save people that do not want to be saved.
BILLY MAYS HERE
October 17th, 2012
4:44 pm
Elon, seriously?
October 17th, 2012
4:38 pm
The funniest part of the article is that parents are paying 38 smackaroos a year for their kids to get social services and cultural studies degrees from a school the rest of the planet never heard of. Good luck with that–Jobs at Chick-fil-A may be all the work they can find. “Would you like waffle fries with that?”
Most people in socioeconomic and income levels above you have heard of Elon.
Billy Mays is NOT Here
October 17th, 2012
4:44 pm
News Flash: Billy Mays died of a drug overdose. Sounds like he might have attended Elon before he snorted too much OxyClean. RIP
Elon Grad
October 17th, 2012
4:45 pm
“The funniest part of the article is that parents are paying 38 smackaroos a year for their kids to get social services and cultural studies degrees from a school the rest of the planet never heard of. Good luck with that–Jobs at Chick-fil-A may be all the work they can find. “Would you like waffle fries with that?””
Because we all know that the only jobs offered are to those graduates of schools people have heard of. Just because YOU haven’t heard of it, doesn’t mean it’s unknown; as I said, the school, with 1,200 students per grade, receives 10,000 applications per year. Not bad.
But of course, based on your logic, grads of Georgia Southern (maybe you?), a masters-level school that more people have likely heard of, should have no problem getting jobs. That, despite the fact that it’s far, far, far lower ranked than Elon is in the U.S. News rankings the AJC cited in the article. Good thing the average employer considers a school’s stature before and above a school’s notoriety.
I Give Up
October 17th, 2012
4:46 pm
Once again I’m embarrassed and ashamed by the attempts of local citizens to justify bigotry and hate in the guise of christianity. Chik-fil-a can support any cause they want, but I don’t want my dollars used to perpetuate the hate. And, believe me, as one who digs on the chicken sandwich, it’s takes a bit of effort. As for Elon, maybe the SGA believes as college representatives they have a moral obligation to vote in the interest of the greater good, chicken nuggets and CFA sauce be damned.
John 14:6
October 17th, 2012
4:47 pm
I don’t believe Cathy is shaking in his boots over this one.
Great thing about this country is that it gives every citizen the right to protest, believe in what they like. Like it or not this country was based around the Biblical beliefs. Just a fact and anyone with a brain can see that the more God is pushed out of the equation the worse this country gets….
That’s not an opinion, That is just FACT! Look it up!
Concerned
October 17th, 2012
4:48 pm
@Chris 3:29 PM, Are you saying that the article is using the “a” incorrectly? If so, you might want to look again. You use “a” before words that begin with “h” when the first sound is that of a consonant, and “an” when the first sound is that of a vowel. “High” is pronounced with the “h” sound before the “i”; therefore you should use the “a” article.
Drudge
October 17th, 2012
4:48 pm
@BILLY MAYS HERE – no I don’t. But when a few hundred, a few thousand alums – as was the case with my alma – start withholding their annual contributions, they become very, very concerned. That’s millions of $s homey.
TimeR
October 17th, 2012
4:48 pm
Diversity, free thinking! (unless your thoughts are different than ours!)
Thrash
October 17th, 2012
4:48 pm
Is the school really going to stand on the side of genetic freak sodomites? Really???
Just Dumb
October 17th, 2012
4:49 pm
I’m sick and tired of being force feed someone else’s beliefs and then further insulted by the their insistence on toleration of said beliefs. If you don’t like the constitutionally protected opinion of the owner of Chick Fila, then don’t eat there (which of course they are doing).
You are not making any type of a statement, other than accentuating your blind intolerance towards others that don’t share your sentiment. If a place provides terrific service, terrific product, and they don’t have my same beliefs, I’m STILL GOING TO PATRONIZE their establishment.
notowndown69
October 17th, 2012
4:49 pm
Will you lefty lunatics please stop forcing your genitals down everyone’s throats? Why can’t you just be secure in your lifestyle that you are correct in your fantasies and let everyone else be right? Stop trying to covert people that do not want to be perverted.
BILLY MAYS HERE
October 17th, 2012
4:49 pm
Abe Froman
October 17th, 2012
4:39 pm
. . .I shun the homosexual agenda that forces colleges like Elon (against the will of it’s students) to make a political statement by punishing a company due to it’s CEO’s exercise of free speech.
Yeah, 50 years ago you would have been decrying liberal elites for forcing Lester Maddox to shut down the Pickrick because he wouldn’t serve nonwhites.
I understand the differences between that situation and the one at Elon, but social injustice has no place in society today. Be a Christian and cook chicken all you want, but don’t expect tolerance of your behavior when you give money to actual hate groups to use the law to enforce your zealotry.
BILLY MAYS HERE
October 17th, 2012
4:50 pm
notowndown69
October 17th, 2012
4:49 pm
Will you lefty lunatics please stop forcing your genitals down everyone’s throats? Why can’t you just be secure in your lifestyle that you are correct in your fantasies and let everyone else be right? Stop trying to covert people that do not want to be perverted.
You think about genitals being forced down your throat more than gay people do. You wanna hook something up on the down-low?
God Forbid Someone Should Hold A Different Opinion
October 17th, 2012
4:51 pm
That’s a bunch of bull hockey brought on by DIVERISTY and Political Correctness. If you emphasize your differences, you emphasis differences, not commonality. The man has a right to his opinions, just as the stupid students have a right not to eat chicken. So what if all the straight people opted not to buy from gay people or gay-friendly companies? That would be just as stupid. No respect for the First Amendment, and no “tolerance” for anyone that holds “different (diverse)” opinions than themselves. When your mind is too open, the sense apparently falls right out of it. YAY DIVERSITY.
God Forbid Someone Should Hold A Different Opinion
October 17th, 2012
4:52 pm
Lord, I apologize for misspelling “Diversity”. I hope I don’t spend eternity in Hell for that.
Comment Worth Repeating
October 17th, 2012
4:52 pm
Billy Mays is NOT Here
October 17th, 2012
4:44 pm
News Flash: Billy Mays died of a drug overdose. Sounds like he might have attended Elon before he snorted too much OxyClean. RIP
John 14:6
October 17th, 2012
4:53 pm
As long as yu believe in the Trinity, my friend, you will not have to worry about going to hell…..
mybulldawgs
October 17th, 2012
4:53 pm
As far as I’m concerned, this stupid Liberal-liberal-liberal arts college is only cutting itself off from delicious Chick-fil-a. That’s their loss. Chick-fil-a is to be applauded for running their organization as a Christian based organization. This country needs far more just like them. Send this liberal arts campus to Cuba or Russia.
BILLY MAYS HERE
October 17th, 2012
4:53 pm
Thrash
October 17th, 2012
4:48 pm
You are not making any type of a statement, other than accentuating your blind intolerance towards others that don’t share your sentiment.
Once again, not accepting intolerance, hate, and zealotry IS NOT INTOLERANCE. You are extraordinarily ignorant when you post stuff like that. Just stop mincing words and admit you hate queers because you have deep insecurities about your own sexuality.
Harris
October 17th, 2012
4:54 pm
This is old news, over and done with. Why is this college bringing it up again???
BILLY MAYS HERE
October 17th, 2012
4:55 pm
God Forbid Someone Should Hold A Different Opinion
October 17th, 2012
4:51 pm
That’s a bunch of bull hockey brought on by DIVERISTY and Political Correctness…
The right-wing definition of “political correctness:” not being able to use racial slurs in open conversation.
God Forbid Someone Should Hold A Different Opinion
October 17th, 2012
4:55 pm
Chick Fil-A has not given money to HATE GROUPS. Someone who holds a different belief than you does not automatically hate you. That is some kind of brainwashing you have bought into. I don’t hate you for having a different opinion or belief than I do. To believe that someone hates you just because they have a different opinion or belief than yours is either symptomatic of deep feelings of inadequacy about yourself or behaving like a toddler in the terrible twos stage. Get a grip, my stars.
BILLY MAYS HERE
October 17th, 2012
4:56 pm
I DIED AFTER SNORTING OXYCLEAN … AND I JUST VOTED FOR OBAMA!
FORWARD!
Thrash
October 17th, 2012
4:57 pm
Billy Mays is a genetic freak sodomite???
Jesus
October 17th, 2012
4:57 pm
Screw all Christians-straight and gay
God Forbid Someone Should Hold A Different Opinion
October 17th, 2012
4:58 pm
I am NOT right wing, dear Billy Mays. I just happen to believe that holding different opinions is OK. I’m looking over my shoulder right now for the Nazi thought police to come after me because I believe that. I vote as left wing as anybody, but I do have common sense and the ability to think for myself independently of the “party line.”
gglenn
October 17th, 2012
4:58 pm
I blame the heterosexual couples for this problem. They are the ones that keep having the gay children. What’s with that?
Jeff
October 17th, 2012
5:00 pm
Guess I won’t be dropping by Elon campus any longer. Only went their for Chick-fill-a
Lee
October 17th, 2012
5:00 pm
I am not sending my child or funds to Elon.
Concerned
October 17th, 2012
5:01 pm
@BILLY MAYS HERE 4:56PM Typical democrats, using dead people’s identities to cast votes for their candidate.
BILLY MAYS HERE
October 17th, 2012
5:06 pm
God Forbid Someone Should Hold A Different Opinion
October 17th, 2012
4:58 pm
I am NOT right wing, dear Billy Mays. I just happen to believe that holding different opinions is OK. I’m looking over my shoulder right now for the Nazi thought police to come after me because I believe that. I vote as left wing as anybody, but I do have common sense and the ability to think for myself independently of the “party line.”
No one, including me, can make you hold different opinions. But your backward thinking disguised as pragmatism has no place in a developed, modern society. No thought police are going to come after you (that is your own persecution/inferiority complex), you will simply be marginalized and relegated to the fringes of society–which are arguably greater in number in the South than other parts of the country,
BILLY MAYS HERE
October 17th, 2012
5:07 pm
Lee
October 17th, 2012
5:00 pm
I am not sending my child or funds to Elon.
They couldn’t get in and you couldn’t afford it anyway.
BILLY MAYS HERE
October 17th, 2012
5:07 pm
… OR MAYBE I DRANK ORANGEGLO THINKING IT WAS BLUE KOOL-AID. MOST GAY MEN ARE COLOR BLIND. I DON’T LIKE CHICKEN, BUT PREFER A JUICY BEEF TENDERLOIN.
I PLAN TO VOTE FOR OBAMA, TWICE!
Chaos
October 17th, 2012
5:08 pm
The academy is supposed to be diverse. Some, it seems, have forgotten that conservatives, even religious conservatives (GASP) are a part of that diversity. It is sad that left-leaning academics and the students that they influence have seemed to have forgotten that simple fact. Don’t like CFA, don’t eat there. I don’t like gay bars…but I don’t go there and I don’t waste my time protesting against them either. I frankly don’t care. Lastly, we are talking about students…many of them have and age that still starts with a 1. They are idiots.
Anthony
October 17th, 2012
5:10 pm
Ok, scratching Elon off the list of potential colleges for my kids.
BILLY MAYS HERE
October 17th, 2012
5:10 pm
I VOTE IN FLORIDA AD NAUSEUM, POST MORTEM
Elongate
October 17th, 2012
5:15 pm
College is where gay power starts and ends. This is where they try to convert others to the lifestyle. They can excercise their power here because they know once they get out into the real world they have none.
This latest gay pride moment keeps them in the news.
BILLY MAYS HERE
October 17th, 2012
5:16 pm
Chaos
October 17th, 2012
5:08 pm
The academy is supposed to be diverse. Some, it seems, have forgotten that conservatives, even religious conservatives (GASP) are a part of that diversity.
Diversity and tolerance does not mean having to accept hateful and intolerant beliefs. This is fairly philosophical and nuanced so I’m not surprised it’s way over your head.
Spoony Bard
October 17th, 2012
5:16 pm
Here’s the REAL TRUTH, for those brave enough to hear it. The Cathy family has really pulled the ultimate con. They love homosexuals, and the religious zealotry/heterosexual love has been a carefully orchestrated act. They want the whole world gay.How to do it… “I’ve got it! We will mix together the two things that hetero whiteys love best – Jesus and fast food!” Now, armed with this ingenious plan, they have been secretly injecting small doses of “The Gay” into the chicken sandwich recipe for decades. So, Chick-fil-a lovers, if you’ve been feeling a hint of gay creeping into your daily life – a little stronger with each sandwich – now you know why. The gay is in the chicken, you fools!
BILLY MAYS HERE
October 17th, 2012
5:17 pm
Anthony
October 17th, 2012
5:10 pm
Ok, scratching Elon off the list of potential colleges for my kids.
You couldn’t afford it, but I wish your child the best of luck at [Directional] [State] University.
woodrow
October 17th, 2012
5:18 pm
LOL. Screw free speech, let’s ban Chick-fil-a. Nice moralistic platitude going for ya.
Q Carpenter
October 17th, 2012
5:18 pm
I 2nd “King of Mean” comments……dang….move on folks!!!
BILLY MAYS HERE
October 17th, 2012
5:20 pm
woodrow
October 17th, 2012
5:18 pm
LOL. Screw free speech, let’s ban Chick-fil-a. Nice moralistic platitude going for ya.
So stupid
Chappy
October 17th, 2012
5:26 pm
Politcally correct: definition: thought police. No one must deviate from what they tell you you must believe. What a manufactured load of political maneuvering.
The center for disease control says the average homosexual males has over 500 partners, I’m just not reading a desire for mariage in that. Its their life, and i couldnt care less (except they feel other people are responsible for their healthcare bills from these choices), but I resent somewhat the political manipulation by means of bullying and lies.
Maybe if we took out the financial incentive for special classes, children and marriage, why should these be tax deductions? Then with a level playing field we can stop this malarky, and allow EVRYONE the right to frredom. Including people who disagree with your choice. There would be a lot more peace.
Pee Wee Herman
October 17th, 2012
5:27 pm
Elon sounds like the name of someone who lives in a closet in their parents house. Are you sure about this?
BILLY MAYS HERE
October 17th, 2012
5:29 pm
Chappy
October 17th, 2012
5:26 pm
Politcally correct: definition: thought police.
No dummy, you can think and say whatever you want. Just don’t expect to lauded/accepted for your stupid, redneck, backwards beliefs. In fact, expect some backlash–that’s free speech too. See you at the fringe!
aon
October 17th, 2012
5:30 pm
@ Elon Grad. Leave Ga Southern out of this. Just because our superior football team beat you a couple of weeks ago gives you no right to bring them into this discussion. In fact, the last time I looked they still had Chick-fil-a on their campus and it does a booming business.
BILLY MAYS HERE
October 17th, 2012
5:31 pm
Pee Wee Herman
October 17th, 2012
5:27 pm
Elon sounds like the name of someone who lives in a closet in their parents house. Are you sure about this?
Obvious psychological projection going on in your post. We’re all worse off because your parents have internet access.
BILLY MAYS HERE
October 17th, 2012
5:32 pm
aon
October 17th, 2012
5:30 pm
@ Elon Grad. Leave Ga Southern out of this. Just because our superior football team beat you a couple of weeks ago gives you no right to bring them into this discussion. In fact, the last time I looked they still had Chick-fil-a on their campus and it does a booming business.
“I couldn’t get into a much better university so I’d better berate their sports team!” –an idiot
Rev Al
October 17th, 2012
5:35 pm
Well of course these college STUDENTS know best…I mean they are college STUDENTS so we should defer to their “wisdom”….what a bunch of d-bags…..
BILLY MAYS HERE
October 17th, 2012
5:37 pm
Rev Al
October 17th, 2012
5:35 pm
Well of course these college STUDENTS know best…I mean they are college STUDENTS so we should defer to their “wisdom”….what a bunch of d-bags…..
So far as I know, no Elon student or organization has told or asked you to follow their example.
The persecution/inferiority complexes of right-wing folks literally knows no bounds.
Rev Al
October 17th, 2012
5:39 pm
It’s a comment section Willie….your pseudo intellectual reach is funny….persecution complex?? That’s funny there Willie….you must be one of those “wise” college students…or just a d-bag…probably the latter….
Eric
October 17th, 2012
5:40 pm
The attempt to ban CFA from this campus represents an important “check and balance” to corporate sponsorship activities that may be discriminatory. Bringing that out into the open for public awareness is what I think Elon SGA is trying to say. That too is an important aspect of free speech.
Chaos
October 17th, 2012
5:44 pm
Billy Mays: says “Diversity and tolerance does not mean having to accept hateful and intolerant beliefs. This is fairly philosophical and nuanced so I’m not surprised it’s way over your head.”
And your views aren’t hateful and intolerant? Try looking at all your posts…or better yet, the mirror.
Let me be a bit less nuanced…You are clearly too close to this argument to even have a philosophical argument about it. Quit throwing bricks at everyone who has a different view. Be gay if you want…don’t be gay if you want…but quit pushing everyone else around here.
But I get it…you’re just trying to make up for some short-comings your own life, so it makes you feel better putting others down while hiding behind a keyboard. How’s that for free speech?
JR
October 17th, 2012
5:45 pm
Elon is where rich people send their stupid kids that can’t get into Duke or Wake Forest.
BILLY MAYS HERE
October 17th, 2012
5:49 pm
Rev Al
October 17th, 2012
5:39 pm
It’s a comment section Willie….your pseudo intellectual reach is funny….persecution complex?? That’s funny there Willie….you must be one of those “wise” college students…or just a d-bag…probably the latter….
I would be ashamed to post a flame that weak
Contractor
October 17th, 2012
5:50 pm
Who cares? If they want to pay $34,000. Year for an irrelevant college that’s not giving them good job prospects after school, let them do what they want. It’s no skin off anyone’s back, except theirs. Gotta love their “acceptance” attitude, but then showing their true colors during protest. The University of Alabama has theirs, so I’m going to remain happy.
Contractor
October 17th, 2012
5:51 pm
Excuse me, $38,000 a year. Even better. Didn’t mean to short them.
Moderate
October 17th, 2012
5:52 pm
Dan Cathy made a personal statement of his personal beliefs in the context of a religious group. He has expressed no hatred nor animosity toward gay people. He also has made no statement in his executive role at Chick-Fil-A advocating any discrimination against any group. This is the inconvenient truth (stealing a phrase) that the gay advocacy groups don’t get.
Perhaps militant gays should root out all of those traitors to the cause who actually work for the company (and there are plenty) and enjoy better pay and benefits than at other fast food outlets.
If you’re going to go through the world hating everybody who disagrees with you and trying to marginalize them, you will have a sad life.
BILLY MAYS HERE
October 17th, 2012
5:53 pm
Chaos
October 17th, 2012
5:44 pm
Billy Mays. . . your views aren’t hateful and intolerant? Try looking at all your posts…or better yet, the mirror.
Let me be a bit less nuanced…You are clearly too close to this argument to even have a philosophical argument about it. Quit throwing bricks at everyone who has a different view. Be gay if you want…don’t be gay if you want…but quit pushing everyone else around here.
But I get it…you’re just trying to make up for some short-comings your own life, so it makes you feel better putting others down while hiding behind a keyboard. How’s that for free speech?
Again with the mincing words and false pragmatism. Be a man. Just admit you can’t stand treating gays as humans you wish they would get back in the closet because it stirs up your own sexual insecurity.
To quote philosopher Karl Popper: “If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them.”
henry
October 17th, 2012
5:55 pm
ELON STUDENTS ARE STUPID………AND YOU CAN’T FIX STUPID
Jenna K
October 17th, 2012
5:56 pm
My recollection of student government in college is that nobody paid them any attention. It’s likely just kids who want to have something to put on the resume. But this would directly impact the kids so they might learn a lesson in representative politics.
BILLY MAYS HERE
October 17th, 2012
5:56 pm
Moderate
October 17th, 2012
5:52 pm
Dan Cathy made a personal statement of his personal beliefs in the context of a religious group. He has expressed no hatred nor animosity toward gay people. He also has made no statement in his executive role at Chick-Fil-A advocating any discrimination against any group. This is the inconvenient truth (stealing a phrase) that the gay advocacy groups don’t get.
CFA’s WinShape charity has given millions of dollars to organizations, including an actual hate group, that actively work to suppress gay rights.
Stop offering apologia for CFA; stop whitewashing the issue. We don’t care what Dan Cathy said; we care about what he’s doing.
BILLY MAYS HERE
October 17th, 2012
5:58 pm
Contractor
October 17th, 2012
5:50 pm
Who cares? If they want to pay $34,000. Year for an irrelevant college that’s not giving them good job prospects after school, let them do what they want.
More very obvious projection.
BILLY MAYS HERE
October 17th, 2012
6:00 pm
Jenna K
October 17th, 2012
5:56 pm
My recollection of student government in college is that nobody paid them any attention.
Fair point, lol.
Jolly
October 17th, 2012
6:01 pm
How about banning ‘em because their chicken sandwich has more calories than a Snickers® bar (440 in the sandwich vs 271 in the candybar). More fat grams, too.
Jim Kramer
October 17th, 2012
6:03 pm
Yeah, same as he said.
JR
October 17th, 2012
6:04 pm
“How about banning ‘em because their chicken sandwich has more calories than a Snickers® bar (440 in the sandwich vs 271 in the candybar). More fat grams, too.”
How about letting me decide what’s best for me to eat. If you want to eat a Snickers bar for lunch, more power to you. But I prefer something a little more nutritious.
GibbinRTakin
October 17th, 2012
6:05 pm
Free speech and diverse beliefs are obviously not part of Elon
BILLY MAYS HERE
October 17th, 2012
6:06 pm
GibbinRTakin
October 17th, 2012
6:05 pm
Free speech and diverse beliefs are obviously not part of Elon
Whose free speech rights have been violated and how?
JR
October 17th, 2012
6:10 pm
“Whose free speech rights have been violated and how?”
How about the students who disagree with the ban? They would be forced to accept a positon they don’t agree with.
BitterEXdemocrackkk
October 17th, 2012
6:14 pm
As a conservative ELON Alum, this is rather disturbing…its looking less likely that ELON will be included in my will as they had hoped…
BILLY MAYS HERE
October 17th, 2012
6:14 pm
JR
October 17th, 2012
6:10 pm
“Whose free speech rights have been violated and how?”
How about the students who disagree with the ban? They would be forced to accept a positon they don’t agree with.
No. The SGA cannot force anyone to think like them, even if such a technology existed. You are truly in a world of your own, space cadet.
BILLY MAYS HERE
October 17th, 2012
6:15 pm
BitterEXdemocrackkk
October 17th, 2012
6:14 pm
As a conservative ELON Alum, this is rather disturbing…its looking less likely that ELON will be included in my will as they had hoped…
Dude yuo’re not an Elon alum you’re just being passive aggressive.
BitterEXdemocrackkk
October 17th, 2012
6:17 pm
We never considered ELON to be for the wealthy, but it is quite the little Southern ivy league university…absolutely beautiful campus and only 40 miles to Cheater Hill NC (Chapel Hill)
Elon Grad
October 17th, 2012
6:21 pm
“@ Elon Grad. Leave Ga Southern out of this. Just because our superior football team beat you a couple of weeks ago gives you no right to bring them into this discussion. In fact, the last time I looked they still had Chick-fil-a on their campus and it does a booming business.”
Thank you for making my point. Because the number one thing employers want in their potential employees is for their university to have a good football team. Congrats on the (meaningless) win, though, and your continued assent up the corporate ladder as a result of it. I’m happy to have graduated from a university that offers something more than football.
Dum-Bass
October 17th, 2012
6:23 pm
Maybe Georgia Southern should stop playing Elon in sports. They seem to be “bigoted” based on the very definition of the word.
Wilt Chamberlain
October 17th, 2012
6:46 pm
Speaking to you from heaven with a hot babe under each arm (and leg), I detest these liberal wussies. But, I also fear four more years of the current administration. If Obama was president when I was making my rounds, he would have found a way to tax my meandering ways with the women. He’ll do the same with CFA. You watch, within months of his re-election, he’ll propose a tax for any restaurants that serve chicken sandwiches that are closed on Sundays. You wait…
Ken Stallings
October 17th, 2012
6:50 pm
Here is how foolish this vote by the Student Government Senate truly is: prior to the vote the Elon campus newspaper, The Pendulum, conducted a campus-wide survey on the issue. A full 69% of the students surveyed said they support Chick-fil-A and do not wish to see the restaurant forced off campus.
In addition, the headline on this article is wrong. This is not merely a ban, but rather an intention to force the restaurant to close ongoing operations.
Here is the other part not mentioned, Chick-fil-A is contracted by Aramark, not Elon University. Aramark has a food-vending contract with about 92 universities nationwide. This includes Elon. So, despite the vast majority of students wanting the restaurant to stay, this small group of student government leaders decided to vote against the majority and endanger Elon with a tort lawsuit.
The Elon newspaper yesterday published an editorial the condemned the student senate vote, and was very principled in demanding that the core liberty of free commerce and choice be respected, and that campus organizations and businesses not find themselves subject to a political litmus test. Having read the editorial, I was quite proud of the students leading the newspaper, and which that kind of integrity and principle was more present with the student senate!
Baby
October 17th, 2012
6:52 pm
LMAO- That “True Christian” on page one thinks Liberals wrote the Hippocratic oath. Or either he can’t spell hypocrite. Any who… it’s not a “ban.” Editor, go to the dictionary, look up the word “ban,” and hopefully you can find out why your headline is inflammatory and false. I know things are tough at the AJC, but having interns doing the writing really diminishes your credibility. These are just very basic principles that every journalism student should be aware of.
Ken Stallings
October 17th, 2012
6:55 pm
Just want to add that these baseless claims that Dan Cathy contributes to hate groups is a self-serving argument and even if true would not justify the action. Focus on the Family is one of those groups the Cathy’s donate their personal money to, and Focus on the Family is most certainly NOT a hate group.
These groups articulate and advocate for preservation of traditional marriage between a man and a woman, and also advocates that states preserve laws restricting gay couples from adopting children. Even people who disagree with that advocacy would do well to study how children raised by same-sex couples often suffer more psychological problems going through life. The typical reply from gay advocates is that children adopted by gay couples are better off than they are under foster parent care.
Personally, I find that also self-serving and also disrespectful to foster parents, the vast majority of whom love their foster children as they would their biological children. And I think they deserve better than to have their noble actions used as a baseless claim in a political dispute.
Jeff
October 17th, 2012
7:12 pm
Note to Elon students: you are showing your stupidity and letting emotional liberal reactionism guide your actions. Take a step back and be pragmatic.
If a private company chooses to donate money to foundations that SUPPORT tradtional marriage, that doesn’t automatically mean they HATE anyone who supports gay marriage. Furthermore, just because YOU interpret and choose to associate terms like “hate group” and “anti-gay” and “discriminatory” doesn’t mean that is, in fact, the case. Because I and Dan Cathy and many others choose to believe and voice support for the Biblical definition of marriage does not automatically make your stereotypes about us valid, any more than a conservative making stereotypes about liberal sub-groups should be considered valid. What you’re doing is saying that anyone who does not agree with YOUR views of the legitimacy of gay marriage is out of step and therefore not valid and has no right to express their beliefs nor act on them…. is that being tolerant or open-minded like you all claim to be?
Finally, those on the left/progressive/LGBT front often accuse anyone who is a Christian or a conservative of “trying to force your beliefs and value systems on others”…. tell me, if you go around banning companies and private entities that you disagree with and trying to punitively damage them by boycotting (and possibly closing them down) and trying to strip out every last element of Christian morals and beliefs from our society, are YOU not trying to force YOUR beliefs and value systems on the rest of US??? It’s very hypocritical and it does no good in the efforts to have more dialogue and finding common ground between the two sides — all it does is further divide us.
If you don’t like Chick-fil-A, fine, don’t eat there… but any attempt or even a suggestion about boycotts, bans, and forcing them out of schools and communities just because you don’t agree with the beliefs of some people in the company is close-minded, intolerant, short-sighted, hypocritical, mean-spirited and unenlightened. I would expect better from supposedly bright, progressive people.
Bob LaBlah
October 17th, 2012
7:13 pm
To be fair, all of the homo’s will have to be kicked off campus because they are against free speech and expression of one’s opinion.
Baby
October 17th, 2012
7:14 pm
@Ken- No comprehensive study has ever been done on that issue, and you know that. I know several well-adjusted (now adult) children of gay parents, both m and f. Of course that’s simply anecdotal, just like your claim of what every gay person would say to your bogus claim.
It’s not just FOTF, it’s several organizations, that attempt to spread lies/incite hatred not limited to suggesting all gays molest their children, have sex with animals, and that gays should be incarcerated. Is that really what we want our law enforcement system to be used for?
I know you find this hard to believe and accept, but there are several gay couples in my church, who love their families, work hard, and love the Lord. Are these Americans and Christians less worthy of basic human decency, simply because you do not agree with their lifestyle? Can the point that you disagree with their lifestyle not be made without such egregious accusations? I know I won’t change your mind, but you do need to understand that you are not judge and jury of anyone.Stop trying to replace God’s judgment with your own, and let him handle it. Now you will have to excuse me, because I am off to church. Have a nice evening.
Elon Faculty
October 17th, 2012
7:15 pm
The faculty members are the one pushing this more than the students are. Here is an example of emails being sent out.
After the faculty meeting on Friday, I felt compelled to write a letter to the Pendulum to express my thinking on the matter. Hopefully, it will appear in the next issue. My apologies to Clyde for some repetition in what follows.
There are three benchmark concepts, missions if you will, that are espoused by every pore of Elon University and they are global thinking, diversity and critical thinking. However, when it comes down to the palpable oppression right within and without our community, it seems that those ideals suffer at the hands of commerce, things as usual and the politics of politeness. I am referring to Chick- fil -A’s presence on this campus and the lack of substantive thinking and research apparent in two editorials in the most recent Pendulum and the unwillingness of the institution, i.e. the administration to take a stance on an issue that concerns basic human rights and inclusiveness.
The Pendulum editorial approaches the issue as ostensibly one of free speech and that Guy Kathy’s over 2 million dollar support of anti- LGBTQ organisations are protected by the First Amendment. Certainly, the American Civil Liberties Union supports that as an admirable position as do I, a long-standing member of the ACLU. Chick- fil -A as an individual entity has the right to espouse and support whatever it wishes.
Their presence here on our campus must be seen as in a different context with different purposes. The context is that of a private institution of higher education that stands for and espouses certain values that are an integral part of a liberal education, meaning learning that at every moment encourages free thinking simultaneously with inclusiveness and consideration of the wellbeing of others. The concept that as thinkers and doers, we must be aware of and reflect on the consequences of our thoughts and subsequent actions. By inviting, and I use this word advisedly, Chick- fil- A on campus, we are tacitly supporting those explicitly discriminatory and oppressive causes with our money and their presence. And this matter does not just end with speech, Kathy’ money supports ‘conversion camps’ that physically and psychologically demean people who are forever scarred by their tactics. Do we really wish to be complicit in such supremest tactics, and by we, I mean faculty, staff, students and administrators? That is tantamount to negating all of those important and ethical concepts mentioned earlier in this letter that we profess every day in our classes, in meetings and as the paramount raison d’etre of the entire institution.
The suppression of human rights are not negotiable, nor are they up for vote by a majority. This is a critical moment when the administration and the entire University must stand in support of what is right, what is human and what is decent.
Ken Hassell
Associate Professor
Art Department
Mentor Periclean Scholars 2014
hassell@elon.edu
336-278-5719
On Oct 8, 2012, at 11:55 AM, “Clyde Ellis” wrote:
Colleagues,
The evidence that Chick-Fil-A has systematically supported anti-gay causes is difficult to ignore. Even a cursory reading reveals that the company’s position is well documented. Less clear is the degree to which the company continues to endorse its earlier positions; and until that’s resolved, the presence of Chick-Fil-A on campus opens the door to a discussion that I believe we should have.
I disagree with Carol Brown that this is an issue of free speech. No one at Elon to my knowledge has suggested that the company does not have the right to express its opinions. But it seems to me that positing this as an assault on “the right to express one’s beliefts [sic] without fear of reprisal” misrepresents the discussion, and neatly ignores the issues that concern those of us who support the petition. At a bare minimum, I would argue that a careful reading of Elon’s mission statement, and of its public pronouncements about an “unprecedented commitment to diversity,” suggest that Chick-Fil-A’s policies to date are openly inconsistent with the university’s often-mentioned values and ideals. Clearly the debate about gay rights is divisive, but the university has unambiguously positioned itself as favoring an inclusive culture. In the wake of Amendment One, for example, the university affirmed its commitment to health care and other benefits that are called into question by some interpretations of that amendment. We might also recall last year’s “Not on our campus” discussion. Whatever else it is, anti-gay activism is deliberately exclusive, and challenges the values that the university supports. This discussion impels us to consider how and with what consequences we will interpret and act on ideas like inclusion and diversity. Why should a morally serious discussion “be given a rest”? On the contrary, we should hear what colleagues on all sides have to say.
I for one don’t know how to square Chick-Fil-A’s positions with the university’s official positions, and so I support the petition. Squaring those positions requires explaining to our students and colleagues, and most trenchantly to our students and colleagues who are LBGQT, how one can support the university’s mission statement and commitment to diversity, while simultaneously standing your ground in favor of a company whose public stance is heretofore flatly contradictory to the university’s implied and expressed ideals. This is not simply about “the right to express one’s beliefs,” and at any rate no one is being deprived of that right. It seems to me that for some who are grappling with the distance between the positions articulated by Elon and Chick-Fil-A, it is about understanding that there is not a moral equivalence between a meaningful policy of inclusion and diversity, and easy, on-campus access to a chicken sandwich.
Best -
Clyde Ellis
——————————–
Clyde Ellis, Ph.D.
Professor of History
Dept. of History & Geography
CB 2143
Elon University
Elon, NC 27244
336.278.6417