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Chick-fil-A's politics do not diminish customer service
By Morgan Andrews
Staff Writer
Chick-fil-A is under fire from the
gay community for only supporting
heterosexual marriages and Christian-
based associations. But bashing Chick-
fil-A for the use of their money seems
quite unreasonable.
One Chick-fil-A in Pennsylvania
sponsored a marriage tutorial in
February. This group is known to
be outspoken and against homosexu
ality; it caused quite the uproar in
the gay community, according to The
New York Times.
Part of Chick-fil-A's motto —"To
glorify God by being a faithful stew
ard" — speafe directly to the char
acter of the association, and how the
running of the corporation is set on a
firm base.
The company is known for sup
porting community events and start
ing their own special organization,
the WinShape Foundation. Chick-
fil-A founder Truett Cathy founded
the WinShape Foundation in 1984,
with the main goal being to "shape
winners."
The foundation is for anyone that
feels like their life needs change or
to assist in building leadership skills.
No matter the lifestyle choice that one
chooses, anyone is welcome to the
WinShape Foundation.
"The issue here is respect," said
Martha Lang, visiting assistant profes
sor of sociology and anthropology.
"Will I disagree with people for think
ing the LGBT (community) is sinful?
Sure. But when it comes down to
agreeing to disagree, we need to find
ways to agree with individuals."
The gay community has the right
to say what they want, but Chick-fil-A
is not known for mistreatment of cus
tomers due to their particular lifestyle
choice.
"I feel like they have good service,"
said senior Brian Daniel, vice president
of Pride. "I don't go there often, but
when 1 do, they always seem friendly."
Customer service is one of the most
important elements to why Chick-fil-A
loves to do what they do.
"Obviously, news of this is frustrat
ing to hear, but at the end of the day,
they are a business and who they
choose to do business with is up to
them," said Daniel. "I must say that
I do not agree about who they have
catered to, but the bottom line is that
it's a business."
Because Chick-fil-A is a Christian-
based organization, there is a policy
stating that all Chick-fil-A establish
ments are to be closed on Sundays.
This policy started when Truett Cathy
opened his first restaurant, according
to the Chick-fil-A corporate website.
"I think (giving the employees
Sundays off) is amazing," sophomore
Kent Peterson, a member of Fellowship
of Christian Athletes, said. "It still gen
erates enough revenue to grow as an
organization while taking the Sabbath
off."
Going to church and building a rela
tionship with God is something that is
exceedingly important in the Christian
faith. Employees are not required to go
to church on Sundays; it simply gives
employees the opportunity to know
who God is. Thus, there are many indi
vidualistic workers for Chick-fil-A that
can have their own lifestyle choices
and not support what the organization
sustains.
"I have never witnessed any
employee of Chick-fil-A be mistreated
or mistreat a customer due to reli
gious beliefs or lifestyle choices," said
Jamie Surprenant, a former Chick-fil-A
employee and the wife of an FCA
mentor. "In fact, the only Christian
employee when I was working was the
manager. None of the other employees
had a religious belief."
Choosing to be a consumer of Chick-
fil-A is left up to the discretion of indi
viduals. If members of the gay commu
nity do not want to buy from Chick-
fil-A, then that is okay, but boycotting
Chick-fil-A for supporting any type of
organization is quite judgmental.
Mental health becoming a priority
to eliminate.
'This semester we are hoping to bring more focus to this
aspect of the dub, and bringing the ideas surrounding mental
health to the forefront of people' minds when they think
about Active Minds," said co-president Claire Norwood in
an e-mail interview.
"We are planning on having movie screenings and then
discussions and a Q&A time afterwards to increase the dia
logue about mental health," said Norwood. "The dialogue
and conversation is what we want to have stimulated at
Guilford, by showing the importance of it and the effects it
has."
Furthermore, Active Minds and the Counseling Center are
working together to set up support groups.
"One that focuses spedfically on suidde and survivors of
it, in any sense, whether that be people who have attempted
or people who know someone who has or it has affected their
lives in some way," said Norwood.
However, these efforts can only be effective when they are
taken advantage of by the student population.
"So far, our biggest obstacle is getting people involved,"
said Norwood.
Guilford students are at an advantage by having access
to the services and support provided by Active Minds and
the Counseling Center. All students should take advantage
of these resources — if for no other reason than to educate
themselves about the stigmas surrounding mental health.
"Everyone on our campus is a part of the student support
system and we all want to give the message that there is help
available and there is no shame in asking for that help," said
Terrell. "Just as you would seek help for a broken bone or
diabetes, you should feel free to seek help for mental health
concerns without shame."
Maybe if the Arizona shooter had received treatment
when his behavior first changed, while in college, a tragedy
could have been prevented.
By Brandy Mitchell
Staff Writer
When I first heard the descriptions of the Arizona shoot
er's mental health condition, cold chills ran through my
body, because not long ago I used many of the same words
to describe a loved one.
The majority of people suffering from poor mental health
do not resort to violence. However, they often suffer alone
due to inadequate support systems. Anyone who has dealt
with mental health issues understands the importance of
having treatment options.
Because the first feelings of depression, anxiety, or psy
chosis often occur while a student is of college age, it is vital
that Guilford have support services in place to assist students
with their mental heal^.
This need has produced the Active Minds club, support
groups, and "Lunch with Counselors."
My aunt once said, "People do not see mental conditions
the same way they see physical conditions." This observation
continues to stick with me.
"For lots of complicated reasons, many of us in this society
seem to believe that we should be able to handle everything
in our lives on our own," said Director of Counseling Gaither
Terrell in an e-mail interview. "We should 'be tough.'"
This stigma is one of the things Active Minds is working
FORUM
Staff Editorial
In the Middle East,
Twitter is the tool, hut it
is not the revolution
Revolution found a new voice in the past months,
as social media and other alternative communication
resources helped to rouse protests throughout the
Middle East.
With Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Bin Ali
forced from office, and Egyptian President Hosni
Mubarak enduring a third week of demonstrators
demanding his resignation, headlines around the
world have read similar to The New York Times'
"Movement Began With Outrage And a Facebook
Page That Gave It an Outlet."
The new use of social networks is both innova
tive and exciting; however, an important distinction
must be made between the causes of revolution and
the tools of revolution. In this case, decades of frus
tration and impeded rights were the causes, while
Facebook, Twitter and the TV / Internet network A1
Jazeera were merely tools.
This distinction should be made not to under
mine the effective use of social media, but rather to
focus attention on the message of the revolution and
the individuals shouting it from the streets.
To name these the Twitter or Facebook Revolutions
is to forget the courage of Mohamed Bouazizi,
whose self-immolation in front of a Tunisian gov
ernment building sparked a call for freedom that
has spread to Egypt, Yemen, Jordan and Algeria.
Similarly, to credit A1 Jazeera with the effectiveness
of the Egyptian protests is to undermine the per
severance of the thousands that have filled Tahrir
Square for weeks.
More importantly, the spirit of the revolutions
must be in the spotlight, rather than the tools of the
revolution. These are not revolutions of social media;
they are revolutions of liberty and equality, of oppor
tunity and expression.
Arab youths are risking everything to confront
authoritarian rulers that have taken away the basic
rights of their people for too long. The people of
Egypt are educated and competent, and yet live in
poverty without the ability to make the changes they
want and their country needs.
What the world is witnessing may very well be
the spread of democracy throughout the Middle
East, toppling of autocracy and stale, old regimes.
As such, we must not celebrate the vehicle of change
until after it has been accomplished. Instead, we
must devote our energy to lifting up those principles
that we hold dear, but that have been buried under
the hatred, extremism and a false sense of stability
perpetrated by numerous Middle East governments.
Freedom and equality can only flourish in the
Middle East if it's homegrown, not imported from
abroad. To credit these social networks is to celebrate
what we created, and we must instead celebrate the
change that they demanded.
The editorial board of the Guilfordian
CONSISTS OF FIVE SEGION EDITORS, A PHOTO .
EDITOR, UYOW EDITOR, WEB EDITOR, SPORTS WEB '
EDITOR, VIDEO EDITOR, EXECUTIVE COPY EDITOR,
MANAGING EDITOR, AND THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF. ' -
Refleqing Guilford College's core, Quaker
• values, the TOPICS AND CONTENT OF STAFF '
Editorials are chosen through consensus of
ALL 13 editors.