Student Leader at CSU-Fresno Speaks Out Against Petitioners on Campus
“They’ll approach you, if you say no, they’ll flag you down and make a big deal out of it”
Activists love college campuses for gathering signatures, but not all of the students like it.
From the Collegian:
Student leader speaks out against petition circulators on campus
Students may have seen or been stopped by petition circulators on campus, asking passersby questions like, “Are you registered to vote?”
These circulators are meant to gather signatures for ballots in favor of certain laws and legislation to be passed. Many of them are paid, and can get paid per signature.
Robert Rivera, a Fresno State student senator, says he has witnessed and experienced several negative interactions with the circulators on campus.
“They’ll approach you, if you say no, they’ll flag you down and make a big deal out of it,” Rivera said. “They’ll flail their arms, ‘Oh, come on, why not.’”
Rivera interacts with them on a semi-frequent basis, as he occasionally helps run the Associated Students, Inc. booth at University Row, right across from where the circulators are commonly seen.
Circulators can work under one or many sponsors and/or organizations. Those who are seen on campus are often not the same people every time, and may not all work directly with one another. Many of the circulators are paid, and they have a legal right to be on campus, since it is a free-speech campus.
However, some students said they have felt harassed at times due to their methods of engagement with the student body.
The university and the university police department have both provided similar statements to The Collegian regarding these behaviors. Both parties say that individuals who do not abide by the university’s standards on free expression should be reported through the proper channels.
“Students who feel uncomfortable or believe someone’s conduct may cross the line from lawful expression into harassment or obstruction can use Fresno State’s Concern and Action Guide to identify appropriate campus resources and reporting options,” they said.
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“Students who feel uncomfortable or believe someone’s conduct may cross the line from lawful expression into harassment or obstruction can use Fresno State’s Concern and Action Guide to identify appropriate campus resources and reporting options,” they said.
Or, there’s pepper spray.
If you want something done right, do it yourself.
Circa 2001 I was at a university in TX when a PIRG petitioner asked me to sign a petition urging more wind energy in TX. I asked him if he was aware that the TX legislature had passed legislation in 1999 (SB 7, 76) that set the stage for wind energy in TX. The petitioner was not aware of that. As he was ignorant, I did not sign the petition.
https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/the-year-the-texas-legislature-changed-the-energy-game-forever/
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