USG tackles on-campus solicitations

USG passed a resolution Tuesday night to work with administrators to regulate the activity of solicitors on campus. As a result of student feedback through a survey, USC will create a new section in SCampus to define the university’s policy regarding on-campus solicitation.

USG Residential Senator Matthew Prusak spearheaded USG’s effort to reform USC’s on-campus solicitation policies.

“This resolution is seeking clarity. I interviewed solicitors, as well as the scheduling office and DPS. It turns out there is no policy, rather a ‘checkerboard’ of different policies,” Prusak said.

According to the recent online survey, 99 percent of the student body reported being approached by solicitors asking for financial or commercial gain for themselves or their organization.

“This resolution has been a long time coming,” Prusak said. “I’ve been doing research this semester … the student feedback was overwhelmingly negative.”

Eighty percent of students surveyed reported feeling uncomfortable as the result of an experience involving on-campus solicitors. Furthermore, 82 percent of students surveyed supported banning solicitor activity on campus altogether.

Though survey results indicate students resent solicitation overall, Prusak acknowledged that the actions of a few solicitors could have skewed student perception of solicitors in general. He said he believes representatives of approved organizations can benefit from the resolution, which will not ban solicitation altogether, but clearly define policies and regulate them more closely.

“There seems to be a consensus that if you ignore one solicitor, you tend to ignore them all. This resolution could actually be helpful for solicitors who operate from a table or stationary location,” Prusak said.

In the survey, students reported individual solicitors acting in an offensive manner. There were reports of solicitors interfering with campus tours, obstructing bike lanes and even sexually harassing students in some cases.

“There seems to be a lot of ignorance. Going forward, we want to educate solicitors on what they can and cannot do,” Prusak said.

USG will work with administrators to create a policy that best represents the interests of the student body. Once enacted, DPS will enforce the new policy on campus.

“I really like this resolution. This is an issue that we need to put into policy in order to be dealt with,” Greek Senator Jamie Dick said.

Two hundred and seventy-six students participated in the online survey, which was conducted by USG in late October. The resolution passed in the Senate by a unanimous vote.

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