SEARCY, Ark. (AP) - Harding University officials are emphasizing that although the campus is excited to get its first Starbucks, the school does not support the coffee company's stance in favor of gay marriage.
Harding spokesman David Crouch says the school can't scrutinize the political positions of all its vendors. The private Christian university has received some complaints after it announced Starbucks would open a location near new campus apartments.
Starbucks is backing legislation in Washington state that would legalize gay marriage. A company spokeswoman tells The Daily Citizen (http://is.gd/SNuf62) that Starbucks believes in equal treatment for everyone, including gay couples.
Harding President David Burks said last month that students cheered and applauded for several minutes during a morning chapel service when he announced that Starbucks was coming to campus in August.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)