Members of UNO’s staff and faculty sent this letter regarding the university’s new dining services contract with Sodexo to Chancellor Joanne Li and Vice Chancellor for Business and Finance Carol Kirchner earlier this month. English professor Robert Darcy said they have not heard back from the administration.
Dear Chancellor Li:
On January 7 and February 2, 2023, MavDaily published a story about the university’s new dining services contract with Sodexo, approved in December by the Board of Regents. The new contract will bring several positive changes to campus dining, no doubt. One of the potential national chains mentioned in the story as coming to campus, however, was Chick-fil-A, the very popular fast-food restaurant. You may be aware that Chick-fil-A is privately owned by the very wealthy Cathy family—a family that has not been kind to the LGBTQ community.
Chick-fil-A’s publicly broadcast mission is “to glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us.” And the restaurant is also very proudly outspoken about supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion in its business. It purports to treat everyone with honor, dignity, and respect. Sadly, the chain’s idea of diversity has not to date included the LGBTQ community. They are only mentioned, for example, on the restaurant’s public-facing webpage on diversity in boilerplate language for federally protected groups (https://www.chick-fil-a.com/dei). And the popularly embraced terms “lesbian,” “gay,” “bisexual,” “trans,” and “queer” are completely absent from the site’s language of inclusion.
In addition, recent news has covered the chain’s refusal to acknowledge the rights of the LGBTQ community. Dan Cathy, CEO of Chick-fil-A from 2013 to 2021, and today its Chairman of the Board, has publicly stated that he supports the “biblical definition of marriage” as that between a man and a woman. He has referenced “dialogues” with members of the LGBTQ community that have been “incredibly wonderful” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpdL-sAyHMM), but he has also directed the restaurant to donate charitably to the National Christian Foundation, the Salvation Army, and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes—all groups that have taken measures or lobbied against LGBTQ rights. The National Christian Foundation is a major supporter of the Alliance Defending Freedom and the Family Research Council—both groups that have marshaled their energies against LGBTQ causes in the courts and in the state and national legislatures.
While Chick-fil-A announced in 2019 that it would cease charitable donations to the most egregiously anti-LGBTQ organizations, the chain’s track record remains irreparably blighted in the public’s mind. And to this day, the chain has not made a pro-LGBTQ statement in harmony with its Christian mission.
We, the undersigned faculty and staff at UNO who oppose anti-LGBTQ legislation and discrimination, respectfully ask that Sodexo remove Chick-fil-A from the possible restaurant chains that might be invited to come to campus. Our students in particular must not have their identities challenged, however subtly, within their own university community that should otherwise be focused entirely on celebrating them.
Sincerely,
Julie Dierberger, Paul Sather Distinguished Director, Service Learning Academy
Christine Toh, Associate Professor in IT Innovation, College of IS&T
Abigail Folberg, Assistant Professor of Psychology, College of Arts & Sciences
Tammie M. Kennedy, Director, Exploratory Studies; Associate Professor of English, College of Arts and Sciences
Matt Hale, Associate Professor of Cybersecurity, College of IS&TAudre Bedford Hansen, Coordinator; Gender & Sexuality Resource Center
Jessi Hitchins, Director, Gender and Sexuality Resource Center
Mary Kate Hoffmann, LIMHP, Counseling and Psychological Services
Lindsay Linson, Triage Specialist, Counseling and Psychological Services
Robert Darcy, Professor, Department of English
David Peterson, Associate Professor, Department of English, and Associate Director, Women’s & Gender Studies
Joan Latchaw, Associate Professor, Department of English
Kay Siebler, Assistant Professor, Department of English
Matthew Marx, Lecturer, Department of English
Sarah Osborn, Instructor, Department of English
MK Schlichting, Graduate Student in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program
Nicholas J. Arreola, Instructor, Department of Management
Jay A. Irwin, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology
Alecia D. Anderson, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology
Charles Johanningsmeier, Professor, Department of English
Ramon Guerra, Associate Professor, Department of English
Tracy Bridgeford, Professor and Chair, Department of English
Jennifer Johnson, Assistant Director, Thompson Learning Community
Rachel Bash, Instructor, Department of English
Kelly MacArthur, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology
John Price, Professor, Department of English
Lisa Knopp, Professor, Department of English
Sharon Wood, Professor, Department of History
Andrea Grover, Associate Professor of Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis
Adrian Duran, Associate Professor, Department of Art and Art History
Kim Schwab, Lecturer, Department of English
Lisabeth Buchelt, Professor, Department of English
James Vnuk, Instructor, Department of English
Jeanne Reames, Professor, Department of History
Tammi Owens, Associate Professor, UNO Libraries
Amy C. Schindler, Associate Professor, UNO Libraries
Jody Keisner, Associate Professor of English
Herb Thompson III, Assistant Professor, School of Communication
Connie Schaffer, Associate Professor, Teacher Education, Director of the Center for Faculty Excellence
Travis Adams, Associate Professor, Department of Englis
Lyn Holley, Professor of Gerontology
Erin Pleggenkuhle-Miles, Associate Professor, Department of Management
Whitney Gent, Assistant Professor, School of Communication
Andrew Stem, Instructor, School of Communication
Ferial Pearson, Assistant Professor of Teacher Education
Sandra Rodriguez-Arroyo, Associate Professor of Education
Gabriel Gutiérrez, Instructor of Teacher Education
Mimi Boswell, Marketing and Communications Manager, CEHHS
Amanda Murtaugh, LMHP, Counseling and Psychological Services
Ada-Rhodes Short, Assistant Professor in School of Interdisciplinary Informatics
Michelle Nelson, Continuing Education & Outreach Specialist
Katie Robbins Case, Training and Supervision Specialist
Kersten Borer, Instructor in Grace Abbott School of Social Work
Katherine Keiser, Associate Director, Counseling and Psychological Services
Katie Cooley, Graduate Assistant and Intern at Counseling and Psychological Services
Huai-Mei Furman, Director of Advising/ Certification Officer, CEHHS
Roni Reiter-Palmon, Professor, Department of Psychology
Claire Du Laney, Assistant Professor, UNO Libraries
Alex Pecoraro, Survivor and Victim Advocate, Gender and Sexuality Resource Center
Morgan Frushour, Spirit and Traditions Coordinator, The Office of Student Involvement
Ellie Mundt, Greek Life Coordinator, The Office of Student Involvement
Sara Kupzyk, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology
Monica Maher, Assistant Professor, UNO Libraries
Lisa Scherer, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology
Adam Tyma, Professor, School of Communication
Whitney Gent, Assistant Professor, School of Communication
Barbara Pickering, Professor, Assistant Director of School of Communication
Nicky CHang Bi, Assistant Professor, School of Communication
Vicki Lentfer, Lecturer, Teacher Education Department
Nicole Infante, Associate Professor, Mathematical and Statistical Sciences
Bethany Lyon, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology
Amanda VonGoodrich, Instructor, School of Communication
Kerry Fina, Senior Advisor, Division of Continuing Studies
Kathy Radosta, Lecturer, Department of English
Joseph Brown, Professor, Department of Psychology
Gwyneth Cliver, Associate Professor, Department of Foreign Languages
Cara Ortega, Associate Registrar, Office of the University Registrar
Sarah Mason, Instructor, Department of English
Stephanie Jensen, Staff Assistant, University Honors Program
Kimber Harkins, Administrative Coordinator, Center for Faculty Excellence
Cassie Neal, Project Director, Gender and Sexuality Resource Center
Sarah Heimerman, Program Coordinator, College of Business Administration
Carol RedWing, Faculty Instructor, Department of Public Administration
Nikki Hecht, Senior Admissions Associate, Undergraduate Admissions
Clare Maakestad, AHEC Coordinator, Health Careers Resource Center, College of Arts & Sciences
Mitzi Ritzman, Associate Professor, Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders
Madeline St. Clair, Manager, Maverick Food Pantry
Farrah Grant, Instructor, Department of Geography/Geology
December Lange Treacy, Director of Undergraduate Advising, College of Business Administration
Kate Earnhardt, Academic Advisor, Division of Continuing Studies
Heike Langdon, Manager of Possibilities, Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center
Sihley Pawaskar, Residence Life Coordinator, Housing and Residence Life
Michelle Friend, Associate Professor, Teacher Education Department
Peggy Jones, Associate Professor, Theatre
Chris Scott, Assistant Director of Academic Advising, College of Education, Health, and Human Services
Rick E. Murch-Shafer, Director, Academic Technologies. Information Technology Services.
Jennifer Sheshko Wood, Assistant Professor, School of the Arts/ Theatre
Dusten Crichton, Director, Thompson Learning Community
Kenneth White, Assistant Professor, School of the Arts, Writer’s Workshop
Keith Gallagher, Instructor, Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences
Hanna Wanzenried Solberg, Academic Advisor – College of Education, Health, & Human Sciences
Erin King, Instructional Design Technology Specialist, Digital Learning, Information Technology Services
Jennifer Harbour, Director, Ombuds Services and Associate Professor, Black Studies, Women’s and Gender Studies
Minjung Goo, Learning Experience Content & Graphic Designer, New Market, Partnerships & Innovation
Kaitlin Carlson, Academic Advisor, College of Business Administration
Michelle Quick, Academic Advisor, College of Arts & Sciences
Robyn Loos, Special Projects Associate, Office of Engagement
Brie Alsbury, Enrollment Specialist, Graduate Studies & Adjunct Faculty, Art & Art History
Gabrielle Tegeder, Adjunct Faculty, Department of Geography/Geology
Omer Farooq, Assistant Professor, UNO Libraries
Emily Cook, Advisor 1/Academic Coordinator, Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences
Lacey LeGrand, Academic Advisor, College of Arts & Sciences, Department of Biology
Lyndsey Rice, Assistant Director, Health Careers Resource Center, College of Arts and Sciences
Tim Dickson, Associate Professor, Department of Biology
Courtney Luxon, Senior Academic Advisor, School of Health & Kinesiology
Lydia Phillips, Teaching Lab Manager, Department of Biology
Roxanne Kellar, Associate Professor, Department of Biology
Sean Treacy, Academic Advisor, College of Arts & Sciences
Anne West-Leclou, ESL Specialist, International Programs
Han Li, Assistant Professor, Department of Biology
Isabel Soto-Luna, Assistant Professor, Criss Library
Jamie Luhr, Biology Instructional Coordinator, Department of Biology
Angela Kroeger, Metadata Coordinator, Criss Library
Jennie Tobler-Gaston, Institutional Repository Coordinator, Criss Library
Marina-Bob Hand, Patron Services Associate, Criss Library
Karen Jabens, Reference Associate, Criss Library
Alana White, Assistant Director of Advising, College of Arts & Sciences
Deanna House, Assistant Professor, ISQA, College of IS&T
Lisa Kelly-Vance, Professor, Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences
Kate Cooper, Associate Professor, School of Interdisciplinary Informatics, College of IS&T
Josie Gatti Schafer, Director, Center for Public Affairs Research, CPACS
Chris Klug, Reference Associate, Criss Library
Alfredo J. Perez, Associate Professor, Computer Science, College of IS&T
Robert Fulkerson, Lecturer, Computer Science, College of IS&T
Angelika Stout, Lecturer, Department of Marketing & Entrepreneurship, College of Business Administration
Brian McKevitt, Professor, Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences
Angie DiSalvo, Digital Technology Specialist, Office of Strategic Marketing and Communications
David Manning, Assistant Professor, Department of Biology
Paige Toller, Professor, School of Communication
Allison Wakin, Instructor, School of Communication
Jodi Benenson, Associate Professor, School of Public Administration
Tom Jamieson, Assistant Professor, School of Public Administration
Lissette Aliaga Linares, Assistant Professor, Sociology and Anthropology
Nuri Heckler, Assistant Professor, School of Public Administration
Angela Eikenberry, Professor, School of Public Administration
Craig Maher, Professor, School of Public Administration
Dawn Hove-Casart, Director Child Care Center
Karen Murch-Shafer, Senior Lecturer, Department of Biology
Hannah Weaver, Assistant Professor, College of Communication, Fine Arts, & Media
Miles Waggener, Professor, College of Communication, Fine Arts, & Media
Maritza Estrada, Case Manager, Care Team
Stephanie Jesseau, Lecturer, Department of Psychology
Jen Papproth, Director, Accessibility Services Center
Ren Rende, Assistant Professor, Department of Teacher Education
Julie Bell, Assistant Professor, Teacher Education Department
James A. Wilson, Professor, Department of Biology
Laurel Sariscsany, Assistant Professor, Grace Abbott School of Social Work
Susan Wallis, Assistant Director for Faculty Engagement, Strategic Initiatives, and Assessment, Service Learning Academy
Tracy Coleman, Outreach Specialist, Department of Biology
Cindy Mumford, ILL Coordinator, Criss Library
Thom Davis, Instructor, College of IS&T
Jason Jones, Facility Manager, Community Engagement Center
Nakita Williams, Staff Assistant, Community Engagement Center
Ashlee Dauphinais, Assistant Professor, Foreign Languages & Literature
Gleyce Any Sales de Castro, Staff Assistant, Community Engagement Center
Nick Oegema, Associate Director, Accessibility Services Center
John Hribljan, Assistant Professor, Department of Biology
Jeremy White, Senior Lecturer, Department of Biology
