Whether it’s pamphlets, jewelry, movie tickets, or credit card applications, at some point every student on campus is approached by a solicitor.

These solicitors, though sometimes annoying, have been given permission to hawk their wares or ideas on campus. Solicitors not given permission merely stay at the borders of the school, often on the Verdugo Road overpass. These vendors are not under any restrictions by the school.

GCC promotes free speech and allows solicitors on campus as long as they follow certain guidelines. The campus currently classifies solicitors in three ways: vendors, campus speakers, and distributors of printed materials. In order to be on campus, these groups must first get approval from the Student Affairs office.

Vendors are allowed to set up on campus one at a time. They are allowed to sell, as long as the products are legal and free of profanity. They pay a fee of $100 that allows them to sell their merchandise for one day. In addition to fees, they are also required to sign an Off-Campus Vendor/Solicitor Agreement.

Campus speakers and distributors of printed material must adhere to the Glendale Community College District Administrative Regulation, and the Glendale Community College District Board Policy. Copies of both can be obtained from the Student Affairs office located in the J. Walter Smith Student Center.

According to Administrative Regulation, speakers and distributors are restricted to the Campus Center and Bookstore Patio. According to Board Policy, distributors can pass out information as long as it is not “obscene, libelous, or slanderous” (California Education Code, Art. 7, Sec. 76120).

In addition to solicitors’ First Amendment rights being protected, students are also protected against solicitors. Under Section D of the Administrative Regulation, neither vendors nor distributors can force or coerce people to purchase or accept literature. Under Section B, solicitors are also restricted from physically touching, restraining, or impeding a students passage through assembly areas.

Currently, two types of solicitors are not allowed on campus: representatives of credit card and phone card companies. This ban resulted from several instances in which students were promised a service that they paid for, but did not receive. Hence, only flyers and brochures are available on campus, which students can choose to ignore.

Anyone harassed by a solicitor should inform the Campus Police or the Student Affairs office. The solicitor may be banned from campus. Any other concerns regarding vendors or solicitors should be directed to the Student Affairs office.