Walking through the Brickyard, it is common to spot individuals advocating for petitions or events being led by student organizations, such as Shack-a-Thon. Religious public speakers that also frequent the area, however, are considered by some students a nuisance and disrespectful.
Any such speakers are allowed on the Brickyard, but only after submitting the online request form and obtaining the necessary permit.
Dealing directly with those who desire a permit is Deborah Felder , assistant director for Campus Activities.
According to Felder , roughly 80 percent of permit requests are approved and those that are denied are typically because of scheduling or space issues.
“I can’t grant them or deny them a permit based on the content of their speech, so my job is to exercise neutrality,” Felder said. “We have a variety of public speakers and I know that generally people refer to them as ‘preachers’ and there’s this notion that that’s an immediate negative connotation.”
Many students, such as Ana Lima, a junior in social work, supported the claim of the off-putting atmosphere surrounding the ‘Brickyard preachers.’
“From what I have seen and the times that I have heard them, whenever a student makes a point, they shut it down,” Lima said. “They think it’s wrong and they’re not really willing to listen to the explanation of why that person thinks that way.”
Sometimes though, students intentionally argue with the religious speakers to get a heated debate going, Lima added.
Muhammad Khan, senior in microbiology and president of the Muslim Student Association, warns against such tactics.
“I personally tell all of my friends not to confront the speakers because it is not smart to have a debate with extremist people who are saying that people are going to hell,” Khan said. ”I don’t believe the speakers are open to dialogue , instead they want to engage in loud and entertaining arguments to draw attention from the masses.”
”Unfortunately, on more than one occasion I have seen it devolve into a shouting match between a preacher and a group of students,” Arthur Juliani , junior in psychology and president of the Buddhist Philosophies group, said.
Juliani said there are preachers on the Brickyard who are peaceable with good intentions, but are overlooked because of the type of evangelism occurring.
The president of the Campus Crusade for Christ group, Kenneth Compton, said the negativity surrounding the speakers is from not showing the enlightening side of Christianity.
“I have heard some of them condemn people to hell for the outfit they’re wearing or the book they’re reading,” Compton said. “Some have told me that I am going to hell because I disagree with some of their beliefs even after I have told them that I am a Christian.”
Those who teach directly from the Bible and present topics respectfully are who students should be exposed to, Compton added.
Regardless, the first amendment guarantees these religious speakers the ability to say whatever they like on the Brickyard.
Yet some students are unlikely to converse with the speakers, to exercise their own right to free speech and religion, because of the hostility and unwillingness for debate, Lima said.
“I haven’t personally talked to any of them. I don’t really want to because they scare me,” Lima said. “But I think the preachers have a right to be there. It stimulates interesting conversation. It makes people think about their religion, about their beliefs, and to some extent it forces people to be more accepting of what others think.”
Felder said the main goal is for students to have the platform to cultivate and exercise their own opinions.
“Religious dialogue shouldn’t be about being right or wrong, it should be about better understanding the views of others and better understanding our own views in the process,” Juliani said.
