How often have you been lured by the siren smell of food from Colvard Student Union? How often has the welcoming smell of Chick-fil-A made a dreary morning better? Can you count the number of times you have been warmly greeted by the counter staff at Chick-fil-A? However, none of this happened on a Sunday because, as most of us know, Chick-fil-A is owned by conservative Christians.
“Not a big deal,” you may find yourself saying, “Lots of places are closed on Saturday or Sunday to honor religious traditions.” Some places even close Friday afternoon to observe the Saturday Sabbath. Again not a big deal, you might be saying. I fully respect, however, you choose to honor the deity or deities of your religious belief.
I have a problem, however, when it leads to discrimination against a part of the population. I have this nasty problem of being a feminist and believing equal rights come with being human.
I choose not to eat the chicken. I cannot support a company who supports organizations that work to deny equal rights. Chick-fil-A has donated financially, or through products to organizations that work to exclude everyone from having the right to marry. Chick-fil-A’s charitable organization, WinShape Foundation, has also hosted conferences with some of the leading anti-gay marriage opponents in attendance.  Several websites promoting equal human rights have published articles and begun petitions asking for Chick-fil-A to be boycotted.
On some college campuses, students have organized to have Chick-fil-A removed from their student unions, such as Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU). Other schools have students working to, at the very least, have the sale of Chick-fil-A products stopped on their campuses, Indiana University South Bend. Change.orghas a petition for Mississippi State University to remove Chick-fil-A.
Colleges and universities are supposed to be a place of learning and growth. 
Yes, MSU is a very traditional campus. However, we are quickly becoming a less traditional student body. Students from all over the world, as well as from all walks of life, are enrolling at MSU. Students, I don’t think, should feel their student fees are going to support organizations that are not supporting their human rights. Chick-fil-A will happily serve those in the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trangender). 
I can’t imagine having to walk by an establishment that was working to deny me a human right. Many students on MSU’s and other campuses in which Chick-fil-A is franchised endure this on an almost daily occurrence. Nothing quite says we encourage a diverse campus like having a restaurant that has anti-gay links in a prominent location in our student union.
The choice becomes yours: do you eat the chicken? Do you choose not to support a company that actively works against some of your family and friends?
Do you choose to support equality or do you buy in and support a conservative agenda?
Why do campuses that are supposed to support free thinking have a conservative Christian establishment?
 
Delilah Schmidt is a senior majoring in  sociology. She can be contacted at [email protected].