The Student Government Association (SGA) decided to hold a student “Speak Out” on Mar. 2 during activity hour as part of their annual free speech symposium. Set up on a simple stage with a microphone, the symposium allowed students to have a platform to voice their concerns.
This event was held in the cafeteria, one of the approved “free speech” locations on campus. Bright orange sheets of paper were placed on tables for students to write their ideas on if they didn’t want to speak in front of the crowd.
Students were also given a sheet with suggestions of many topics that are relevant to the NEIU campus, including the Activity Hour change and the U-Pass debate.
The rules were simple: each person had two minutes to speak whatever was on their mind. Nobody was allowed to say anything offensive. All someone had to do to speak was come up and talk to the host. The participants and audience members were given a free shirt with the “Speak Out” logo.
There were a variety of topics that students spoke about. Some of those topics were on the suggestion list while others were not. A few students used the platform to talk about their views on social topics, such as war, retribution and political awareness.
While many students and NEIU staff spoke about very serious topics, there was the occasional joker who lightened the mood.
The most common topic students talked about was the U-Pass. Most who brought the topic up told their personal transit situation and compared NEIU’s situation with other schools. Some students offered a rebuttal to this topic.
“The SGA has been trying to get the U-Pass here for years,” said Jason Garcia, a former SGA member.
“Gather a bunch of students. Go to a CTA board meeting and ask them for the U-pass,” said Victoria Tullock, the only student to offer a solution to the U-Pass problem.
Parking on campus was another issue many of the speakers had. Some spoke about the amount of spaces available while others spoke of issues obtaining permits.
Students like Athena Jimenez spoke about high prices at the bookstore.
“Why do they charge us so much for books and only give us a quarter of that back?” asked Jimenez.
The purpose for this event was “Free speech isn’t an issue until they take it away” reflecting some of the free speech battles during previous years at NEIU. Overall, this event got the student body talking about some relevant issues.
As a tool for opening the dialogue between students, this event was successful. It helped showcase the diversity in opinions of the student body as well as exemplify how students can become unified to discuss those very topics.