Students share their thoughts on whether or not any form of speech should be confined to the Martin Luther King Jr. Commons.

NIU policy prohibits “solicitation or leafleting anywhere on campus with the exception of the Free Speech Area on the Martin Luther King [Jr.] Commons, between the Holmes Student Center and Founder’s Library.”

Students must notify Student Involvement and Leadership Development and register with NIU police prior to using the Martin Luther King Jr. Commons

See how some students responded below.

Junior psychology major Jessica Jimenez said she thinks NIU should keep the free speech area confined to the Martin Luther King Jr. Commons.

“I think people should have the right to any method of speech, but the campus needs to be aware of who’s doing what,” Jiminez said. “Sometimes it doesn’t encompass a friendly environment. I don’t think campus should stop them, but there could be an altercation.”

Alexis Young, sophomore rehab services major, said it depends on the situation.

“It should be allowed throughout the campus,” Young said. “If it’s positive [speech], I want it to be throughout campus, but if it’s negative, I don’t. I’m in the middle.”

Sophomore pre-nursing major Jenay Plummer said it depends on the situation.

“I guess that’s [NIU’s] way of keeping commotion down,” Plummer said. “It’s hard to say. Yeah, I want freedom of speech, but say everyone did have it, it’d be a lot of commotion.”

Keyur Doshi, freshman mechanical engineering major, said he thinks NIU should allow any method of freedom of speech.

“They should be allowed to roam around campus,” Doshi said. “You can’t have freedom for some rights and not for others.”