Davidson College, a small private institution in North Carolina, announced yesterday that it will end its relationship with Chick-fil-A in response to a student petition. While there is not a Chick-fil-A restaurant on Davidson's campus, the school had previously ordered food from the restaurant to serve at After Midnight events. While the college has yet to make a final decision regarding their relationship with the vendor, they will be serving alternate options until a final decision is made. "The Davidson College Union Board is firmly committed to building an inclusive community that serves each member of our student body," the leaders of the Union Board explained.

Campus Pride commends Davidson College's swift response to the campus community's petitions and issued the following statement in response to the announcement:

"Chick-fil-A's President Dan Cathy is in for a surprise. College students are not going to tolerate a corporation that donates profits to documented hate groups or anti-gay causes. Davidson College is a perfect example of how colleges will be slowly distancing themselves from the Chick-fil-A brand, even if it will take time. The company is out of touch with the next generation who just wants a good chicken sandwich, hold the hate. The real issue at hand is not freedom of speech, but Chick-fil-A’s secretive funding of documented anti-gay hate groups. There is no justification for such a business operating on our nation’s campuses. Students and administrators alike need to know that revenues going to Chick-fil-A drive funding for groups that are almost certainly in conflict with campus non-discrimination policies and are harmful to creating a safe campus climate for all students."

Davidson College has been in the news as a result of the decision. You can read more at Think Progress and the Huffington Post.