clemson
A man was stopped by a Clemson University administrator for praying on campus, telling him and a Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) activist that "this is not a designated free speech area," and asking them to leave the area. YAF's blog The New Guard released the video today.

The administrator, Shawn Jones who is the assistant director for client services, also called their praying "solicitation," and demanded that they would need to fill out paperwork to continue. Clemson receives state and federal funding, and many see these restrictions as disregarding the First Amendment to the Constitution by limiting free speech to certain zones.

The Young Americans for Freedom member, Kyra Palange, asked the administrator, "by that, you mean there are free speech areas on campus and that the entire campus is not a free speech area?"

Jones responded, "that is correct."


Palange released the following statement to YAF:

"I was walking across the grassy area near Fort Hill after class at about 3:15 when I saw someone sitting in a folding chair. Next to him was another folding chair with an 8×10 sign that said PRAYER. I approached him and we sat down to pray for a few minutes. When we finished, a man from the university approached us and said he could not be praying there because it was not a "designated free speech area" and presented the person who was praying with a form for the procedures for applying for "solicitation" on campus. He told him he had to leave."

Emily Jashinsky, spokeswoman for Young America's Foundation — which merged with Young Americans for Freedom five years ago — said, "Attention Clemson: The entire United States of America is a free speech zone. If an American wants to exercise their religion, they should be able to do it regardless of whether or not they are in a 'designated free speech area.' And silently offering prayer to anyone who wants to take part is not 'solicitation.'"