I found this article interesting and definitely relates to U of I since there is a Chick-fil-A on campus and there have been several reports of businesses with similar ties (Target) in the US and it brings up questions of who should we support.
The LGBT group on this IU campus petitioned to have this restaurant removed as a vendor due to their ties with organizations that support anti-gay causes. This definitely brings up an issue of a college's responsibility to create a diverse and safe learning environment on campus that does not promote discrimination. There are many questions I have...like how far should this go (should other campuses follow-suit, other vendors be examined)? Should students have imput on vendors or is this a personal decision (they should just not support the place by visiting)? How close do ties to these organizations have to be (what if the part of these programs they are supporting is making a positive impact and that is why Chick-fil-A is donating to them, does it make a difference)?
It definitely makes corporations more responsible for viewpoints they may take and careful in selecting the organizations they support. One campus can definitely send a strong message, it will be interesting to see if others follow suit. I think that it is great that students are looking beyond the students and making the vendors responsible to the environment they would like portrayed on campus!
Chick-fil-A Booted from Indiana University South Bend's Campus Over Anti-Gay Work
Melissa, I really appreciate your post about this issue and the questions you raise. This reminds me of the national boycotts I heard about over the summer, protesting against Jimmy Johns, whose owner supports Arizona's anti-immigrant politicians (http://www.fightbacknews.org/2010/6/17/minneapolis-immigrant-rights-protest-targets-jimmy-johns).
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is such a positive thing for students to rally together to take a stand and send a strong message to corporations about human rights and social justice issues. Student movements in the past and present have so much power to change the campus climate, as well as the local, national, and international politics and culture. I'm looking forward to following the debate and protests against Chick-fil-A on our campus.
Very interesting posts...both Chick-Fil-A and Jimmy Johns. Interestingly, President Obama just called for college campuses that have banned military recruitment because of the discriminatory practice of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" to allow recruiters back on campus. We should keep these in mind as we debate the idea of a 'value-neutral' college campus...
ReplyDeleteMelissa, Thanks for posting this link! It would be interesting to see how/if this develops on our campus. Since we are talking of vendors, the approved food vendors on our campus are mostly limited to large corporations because of insurance needs. There are very few minority-owned businesses on the approved list of vendors, as I am sure you and Connie both know firsthand.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to start off by saying I really like Chick-Fil-A. When I had my asistantship in the Illini Union, I ate there about 3 times a week. Besides really enjoying their chicken nuggets, I think that they have a good mission. I would advise looking at the community section of the company's website before making a judgment that Chick-Fil-A is evil.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.chick-fil-a.com/#ourcommitment
In regards to the ban, it was overturned. You can read about it at the below link. It provides, in my opinion, a less biased account of Chick-Fil-A activities than that of change.org
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/feb/1/chick-fil-returns-indiana-university-south-bend/
I think the Washington Times piece is interesting and adds some information. However, I do not consider it 'less biased' than change.org. We all have bias/subjective views, including our news organizations (from all sides).
ReplyDeletePerhaps I should have used the phrase, taking a less activistic viewpoint.
ReplyDeleteBelow is an equally activistic article on Chick-Fila-A that opposes change.org's petition to ban Chik-fila-a.
http://townhall.com/columnists/MichelleMalkin/2011/02/02/a_christian_business_in_the_lefts_crosshairs
I definitely know that there are many sides to issues such as these, and we see how area news papers can spin stories to fit their own views (but then again, everyone does, it is hard not to show your stance on one issue or another). We see papers that endorse political figures, run stories only from one side, and can select to omit details. It is very important to look at the source, and we all bring our own bias and experience to the table. Hopefully groups and individuals are looking at all sides and are making decisions based on all the information they can gather. A site like change.org is going to take the stance that represents their issues and appeals to readers, just like others with other agendas
ReplyDeleteI may decide not to go to a place because of an issue I feel strongly against for the same reason that someone decides to go there because they support the issue...it is a personal choice, and should be researched. I find it interesting to see how that personal choice changes over to a campus decision and/or policy. In most cases it is a case of personal opinion and how they connect the owner to the cause. They may donate money to a political campaign (such as Jimmy John) and that politician may support a certain cause. Do we assume that the person donating supports that cause? It could be they support all other causes except that one that you may oppose. Hard to tell, just very interesting...and I think that it is great we have the freedom to make our own decisions.
VPK- that is a great point...I use to work at O'Hare and I thought that it was great that they maintained a majority of Minority/Women owned businesses at the airport. Insurance and certifications are definitely an issue on campus when maintaining vendors, but that may mean that other businesses may not have opportunity.