Grove City College (GCC) students welcomed Chick-fil-A as their new dining option on campus, and Slippery Rock University (SRU) students are now wanting a new option of their own.
With the opening of the GCC Chick-fil-A, The Rocket was curious as to what restaurants SRU students would like to see come to our own campus. Through the use of a survey, The Rocket learned that 94% of the student respondents would welcome a new dining option.
What was the leading candidate among the students? Chick-fil-A, with 58% of respondents stating that is who they would like to see come to campus. Among the calls for chicken, we also saw requests for Wendy’s, Dairy Queen, Panera, and Chipotle.
Some respondents, however, were not as keen to see Chick-fil-A make its way onto the SRU campus, as the chain is no stranger to controversy.
The company has been known to donate to anti-LGBTQ+ organizations, including one such donation that amounted to more than $5 million to groups that support conversion therapy. Since Nov. 2019, the company has stopped donations to the two major Christian organizations they previously helped fund.
In 2021, the University of Notre Dame announced a Chick-fil-A location would be opening on campus grounds. Three students spoke out in a letter to the editor, titled “Keep Chick-fil-A away”. Eventually, nearly 200 students, faculty, and staff signed a petition opposing the opening. Despite the opposition, the university moved forward with the plan and the location opened in February 2022.
While there may be some divide over which restaurant students would like to see come to campus, they’ve made it apparent that they would welcome something new from the options they currently have.
Currently, SRU students have a variety of options spread across campus when they’re looking for grub. There are dining options in the Smith Student Center, Boozel Dining Hall and Weisenfluh.
For now, students who are looking to get their chicken fix will need to travel to Grove City.
