NIU students have been exercising their First Amendment rights by organizing protests on campus for the last several decades.

“Protests have been important historically in bringing about changes in society,” said Rosemary Feurer, associate professor of history. “Just about all the advances for minorities, women, labor and other groups have been brought about by mass protest movements.”

Feurer said a small committed group of activists can affect critical change.

If a student or group wants to organize their own protest on campus they are free to do so.
According to The Student Code of Conduct, policy concerning demonstrations on campus respects all students’ right to freedom of speech, peaceable assembly, petition and association. Members of the university community have the right to express opinions publicly if they do not disrupt the operation of the university.

NIU traditionally tries to work with individuals attempting to express their opinions, said Brian Hemphill, vice president of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management.

A few guidelines concerning demonstrations are in place.

Hemphill said if groups want to use the King Memorial Commons they must make a reservation with the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership Development beforehand. He added that this was because of the high number of requests to use that space.

The Student Code of Conduct also notes that if a protest gets out of hand, protestors will be asked to leave or face legal action.

Student activism is part of NIU’s history.

There have been many noteworthy protests on campus, said NIU President John Peters. Peters added that NIU’s largest demonstration took place on May 6, 1970 in which roughly 8,000 people came together for an anti-violence protest. He also said that for a two-week period following the rally the campus erupted with smaller protests, incidents of vandalism, moratoriums on classes and confrontations between student protestors and the police.

There have been many recent rallies and protests on campus.

“During my tenure as President, there have been small protests from time to time with students exercising their free speech right to bring their issues and concerns to a public audience,” Peters said.

In September, the abortion rights group Advocates for Choice held a rally in opposition to the anti-abortion one sponsored by Campus Missions International on the same day, said AFC president Alexandria Springer. She added that the protest was meant to serve as a counter perspective and to notify the university of the group’s presence. The group spent most of its time handing out condoms and information about AFC to people passing by.

Springer said the positive feedback in response to her demonstration outweighed any negative.
“Many students, faculty and staff approached the group just to say ‘thank you for being there,’” Springer said. “I would certainly recommend getting out and distributing information, though it is very important to have group support and concise goals in mind before initiating a protest.”

Some feel that college students who take the time to organize a protest and challenge the status quo should be commended.

“I find the students who decide that they are going to take risks are really to be admired, as they are thinking of academic life as something other than a means to a job,” Feurer said.

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