Students who walk through the Free Speech Area on campus on any given day are subject to see preachers, political activists or club organizers each trying for attention.
If you are not a student, however, the Free Speech Area isn̢۪t monetary. And if you are attending California State University, Fresno, there are still rules to follow.
Anyone who wants to take advantage of the Free Speech Area must sign up.
All Fresno State students, groups, clubs and organizations have free access to the free speech area.
“If you are a student, we have tables and chairs available, free of charge,â€Â said leadership development and activities advisor, Josh Edrington.
To use the tables and chairs, students must sign up one week ahead of time. Permits are issued and can be used once per week for a two-week period, Edrington said.
For those who are not students, there is a $10 fee to utilize the Free Speech Area. Financial institutions, telecommunications firms and other businesses such as these must pay a $200 fee before using the space.
Most people who use the free speech area are Fresno State students, however.
The majority of those who use the Free Speech Area are student organizations, whether it̢۪s for recruitment or for promoting upcoming events, Edrington said.
Even the booths in the Free Speech Area aren̢۪t guaranteed spots for organizations.
“The [organizations] participate in a booth lottery because we are limited. We have 22 spaces,â€Â Edrington said. “It’s something we’re looking at right now, to maybe expand the area.â€Â
Lottery participants submit their lottery participation forms on or before the last day of the semester, when a drawing is held.
The first 22 organizations selected will have a space in the Free Speech Area the following semester.
Some students, like liberal students major Ashley Lara believe that signing up for the Free Speech Area limits free speech.
“You have to sign up? What part of that makes it free speech then?â€Â Lara said.
If students sign up and take the proper steps to utilize the Free Speech Area, they are free to assemble and address crowds.
“We once had a controversial issue because the Ku Klux Klan wanted to come out. Of course, we can’t say no because it is a free speech area,â€Â Edrington said. “The only thing we can control is time, place and manner. They ended up getting scheduled to come during a football game or something, when there wouldn’t be a lot of traffic going through the free speech area.â€Â
Still, some students aren̢۪t bothered by the regulations of the Free Speech Area.
“I walk straight through because I believe they say nothing that pertains to me,â€Â said senior art major, Sarah Ryan.