Dean Resigns after University Bans Chick-fil-A: "I Am a Committed Follower of Jesus"

Emily Jones : Mar 5, 2019
CBN News

"Stand up for what you believe in. Do it in a respectful manner so that you—at the end of the day—you can still respect yourself for how you expressed your views and how you stood up for your views." -Cynthia Newman

(Lawrenceville, NJ)—[CBN News] A dean from Rider University in New Jersey announced her resignation after the school banned Chick-fil-A from serving students on campus. (Image via Facebook/CBN)

In November, Rider University removed Chick-fil-A from a list of restaurants it was considering bringing to campus, citing the fast food restaurant's perceived "opposition to the LGBTQ+ community."

Campus Reform reports that Cynthia Newman, Dean of the College of Business, announced last month that she will resign due to the university's hostility to the Christian values Chick-fil-A espouses. Her resignation is effective August 31.

"As some of you already know, I am a committed follower of Jesus Christ," Newman says in her announcement. "As such, I endeavor every day to do exactly what Chick-fil-A puts forward as its overarching corporate value: to glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to me and to have a positive influence on all who come into contact with me."

Newman told Campus Reform in an interview that when the school rejected Chick-fil-A because of its Biblical values, she "felt as though I had been punched in the stomach."

She repeatedly spoke with school administrators and asked them to apologize for condemning the fast food chain's religious values, but according to her, the school doubled down.

Newman said campus leaders were "given a set of talking points about the Chick-fil-A decision that we were to use to respond to those who were critical of the decision."

"I could not, in good conscience as a committed Christian, adhere to those talking points," she explained.

Newman told Campus Reform the university leadership is "sorry to see me go," but she's encouraging other people of faith to stand up for their convictions.

"Don't be afraid, you know, stand up for what you believe in. Do it in a respectful manner so that you—at the end of the day—you can still respect yourself for how you expressed your views and how you stood up for your views," Newman said. "And understand that I mean, you're the one who has to live in the world that's around you and so if you feel something is not right in that world, you have an obligation to stand up and to say what your perspective is on that." Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here