When you go out to eat, do you care about the religious views of the establishment, or who or what causes they contribute to? Or do you just want good food?

Most students at Rider just want the good food and that's why Chick-Fil-A topped a survey asking what restaurant franchise they would like to see come to the campus of the school, shame they're not going to get them.

It seems the powers that be at Rider are refusing to allow Chick-fil-A, which was removed as one of the options based on the company's record widely perceived to be in opposition to the LGBTQ+ community, according to a letter to the Rider community from President Gregory G. Dell’Omo and Vice President for Student Affairs Leanna Fenneberg. Chick-fil-A holds strong Christian beliefs and much to the disappointment of their fans, closes on Sunday.

"We understand that some may view the decision as being just another form of exclusion. We want to be clear that this was not the spirit in which the decision was made," the letter said. "We fully acknowledge an organization’s right to hold these beliefs, just as we acknowledge the right for individuals in our community and elsewhere to also personally hold the same beliefs."

How nice of Rider to acknowledge Chick-fil-A's right to their beliefs, but what about the beliefs of the majority of students who voted them on top in the survey? Do they not count? What about all those who share Chick-fil-A's Christian beliefs? Should they not be allowed on campus?

If Rider didn't want Chick-Fil-A in then why were they on the survey in the first place? Granted they were left off a second one done during the fall semester. If Rider is all about diversity, then why not allow a restaurant in with a different viewpoint based on their religion? Especially a restaurant that was voted for by the students who are paying to attend your university?

Speaking of paying, does Rider vet the religious and political viewpoint of every student that wants to attend their private university or parent that will pay for it? Has anyone been turned down for admission because of such nonsense? Then why should a business that grounds it's values in it's religion and is fast becoming the third largest fast food chain in the United States. By the way, Chick-fil-A was also named the nations favorite fast food restaurant for the third year in a row in this years American Customer Satisfaction Index's restaurant report.

If Rider was not going to let the students choose what they want, then they never should have asked them in the first place. But now that they have, I feel it's their obligation to let them have a nice grilled Chick-Fil-A club sandwich or maybe some nuggets. As a certain governor likes to say, "It's the right thing to do."

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