I'd go the credit union route. I doubt she'd get accepted for the Chase Freedom. In addition, hard inquries hurt more if you're new to credit, which wouldn't improve her odds of being approved were she to reapply for another card after being denied for the Chase Freedom.
I'd say have her pull her FICO scores first though. After that it's up to you as to whether or not to apply for Chase Freedom. If she gets denied, I'd say go with a credit union card or maybe a Discover card. If she's a full-time student, applying as a student improves your odds of being approved for the Discover. The only caveat is that the interest rate will be a bit higher. That shouldn't matter though if she plans to PIF each month.