On many occasions I have stopped to listen to the preachers outside Hayden Library.

Their words vary and come in assorted flavors of crazy, but are typically delivered with good intentions at heart. These proud individuals can be commended for their commitment to their cause, casting insults aside as they vigilantly cite Bible passages in a brazen display of faith.

Unfortunately, not all religious activists are worthy of such praise.

It appears that, in the last couple of months, protestors on campus have sought to disturb and outrage their student audience, in order to get their attention. Their inane banter serves no constructive purpose, instead targeting women and minorities with its fire and brimstone.

ASU, like many college campuses, is a strong proponent of freedom of speech, as outlined in the ASU Campus Environment Team (CET)’s policies and procedures.

However, this policy prohibits discriminatory harassment, defined as, “engaging in extreme and outrageous conduct for the purpose of inflicting severe emotional distress upon another person.”

My trips across campus are typically abbreviated journeys from A to B, but earlier this month while skating past the Memorial Union, there was a sight that made my jaw drop.

Here was a man, surrounded by the typical crowd of appalled students, raising a sign that read, “Hell is a whole new definition to the word Flaming Fa---t.”

He smiled as I took out my cell phone to take a picture.

While this offensive and provocative speech violates both CET and state doctrines, ASU police at the scene did nothing to stop the protest despite the crowd’s outrage. One student claimed to have asked the officer, “If that sign said the N-word instead, would you intervene?” The officer replied that they would. However, when asked as to what the difference was shrugged, he said simply, “Politics.”

On the opposite extreme, The Arizona Republic reported on Thursday about an incident in Casa Grande in which an officer dissolved a gay rights protest due to the group’s pride flag, which was allegedly “obstructing the view of traffic near an intersection ... [one of the students protesting] said he and the flag’s owner complied by giving the officer their identification and asked where they might move their demonstration. That’s when they were told they couldn’t fly the flag ‘anywhere’ or risk arrest …”

The question is then, where do Arizona and ASU draw the line between offensive and liberating speech?

The ASU Campus Environment Team claims to be “committed to maintaining hospitable educational, residential and working environments that permit students and employees to pursue their goals without substantial interference from harassment,” but continues to turn a blind eye toward discriminatory activities on campus, as long as they are conducted in a public forum.

While their 2007 annual report (the most recent available) indicates some concern regarding the issue in the interest of students and campus visitors, the organization has yet to arbitrate an explicit decision on the matter.

Between impending finals, all-nighters to complete papers and projects and futile sun-soaked shuffles between arid patches of shade, students are stretched thin as it is. ASU needs to set proper regulations for campus activists before somebody gets hurt.

Religious (and other) zealots have their right to preach on campus, but should not be allowed to verbally assault students, as they currently have grown accustomed.

Hal is an accountancy major who celebrates all beliefs, as long as they are not pressed onto others. Press your ideas upon him at
hscohen@asu.edu.