New Jersey university blocks Chick-fil-A as dining option, cites values

LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) - Students at a private university in New Jersey can eat more chicken as long as it's not Chick-fil-A.

Rider University removed the restaurant from a survey asking students what restaurants they would like on campus, "based on the company's record widely perceived to be in opposition to the LGBTQ community." The fast-food chain was included in previous surveys.

Chick-fil-A has supported Christian values. Its corporate purpose is "To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us."

Chick-fil-A says it has "no policy of discrimination against any group."

Rider says it understands some may view the decision as a "form of exclusion." But the school says it wanted to be "faithful to our values of inclusion."

The university plans to hold a campus forum on the issue.

Rider University President Gregory Dell'Omo and Vice President for Student Affairs Leanna Fenneberg released the following letter, dated Nov. 23: