As a result of student outcry, The Daily Grind stopped serving Chick-fil-A for this school year.

Richard Wagner, Manager of the Campus Store, said, “we support the SGA (Student Government Association)  resolution that passed last spring which urged us to sever all business ties with Chick-fil-A before the start of the 2011-2012 school year. Therefore, we discontinued the program.”

Although Chick-fil-A is no longer sold at The Daily Grind, students can still purchase food from the locally owned Blue Wind Gourmet. (Photo by Keene Kelderman)

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The resolution essentially involved three parts. The first linked Chick-fil-A to anti-LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer) organizations, and specifically pointed out the 12 million dollars donated to the WinShape Foundation. The second focused on the College’s desire for diversity and acceptance of LGBTQ students. The third was that Blue Wind Gourmet, the new food vendor available in The Daily Grind every Wednesday, could satisfy everyone.

Ultimately the resolution states, “The Student Government Association of St. Mary’s College of Maryland (urged) the administration of President Joseph Urgo and the staff of The Daily Grind to do all in their power to sever all business ties with Chick-Fil A before the start of the 2011-2012 school year.” Also, “The Student Government Association of St. Mary’s College of Maryland fully (endorsed) Blue Wind as an on-campus food vendor given its pro-environment, pro-local, pro-diversity mission and delicious food.”

The resolution also brought up a co-sponsored petition that received 450 signatures that opposed business relations with Chick-fil-A. The sponsors included some members of The St. Mary’s Triangle and Rainbow Society (STARS) and the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). Last year, the clubs organized a boycott that involved handing out fliers to people telling them not to buy Chick-fil-A and why.

Sophomore Liz Sheehan, former employee at The Daily Grind, said, “The students who worked there thought that they were no longer allowed to serve Chick-fil-A after the resolution passed, but they soon were told that this wasn’t true.” The SGA resolution could not directly affect The Daily Grind unless the managers decided they wanted it to. “We weren’t sure if it was coming back or not at the end of last year, but I guess now we know for sure,” Sheehan said.

Posted in News | Tags: Blue Wind Gourmet, Chick-fil-A, Student Protest | Print View