Opinion Graphic
Between the 90-degree weather, bikers and skateboarders, and little amounts of time to go long distances, getting to class can be an extremely stressful affair. Not to mention, you’re not the only person walking from point A to point B; there are roughly 34,000 students enrolled at NC State so certain parts of campus can become quite hectic at certain times of the day.
Walking the Brickyard stretch is particularly more stressful than other parts of campus — small businesses trying to sell me soap at 8:30 a.m. or the preacher in the Brickyard yelling about how I’m probably going to hell adds an extra layer of chaos to the regular stress of making it to class.
I totally support local businesses, but there’s definitely a time and place I would like to check out a local product or be condemned. The walk to my 1:55 p.m. Spanish class, sun blinding me, sweat pouring down my back, is not the time.
I can definitely see how setting up a tent in a densely populated area and trying to sell your product is, in a lot of ways, a good idea, but it’s important to note that we’re college students. First-year students, such as myself and many of my friends, don’t have the jobs we had back home. In 2014, seniors at NC State graduated with an average debt of $20,482.
So, when there are vendors constantly trying to get students to purchase more things, more stress is added. And, in fact, a 2012 survey found that four of the five top major stresses for students involve money.
It’s hard to feel at home when different groups are shoving flyers into my hands about their church, among other organizations, when I’m just trying to walk to lunch at the dining hall in between classes. It’s hard to feel like I’m at school getting a valuable education when I feel like someone constantly wants something from me or is trying to sell me something.
Above the dull roar of the crowd I can hear the “Brickyard preacher” (very loudly) reading from the Bible. This wouldn’t necessarily bother me if this man was just reading the Bible, but he is yelling so loudly and approaching people while he is trying to convey his message. I’m just trying to enjoy the beautiful NC State campus, and all I can hear is this man yelling, which causes me to be stressed.
I can complain about these businesses, individuals and various organizations coming to campus all day long, but when it comes down to it, these people have a legal and personal right to be on campus selling their products or advertising their religion. NC State’s policy states, “The University does not impose restrictions on any forms of solicitation because of the content or viewpoint of the expression or the possible reaction to that expression.”
A possible solution to the added stress of vendors on campus could be to limit the amount of time they spend on campus; maybe only have them come to campus on the weekends or during the late afternoon so as to avoid the times students are most frequently walking to class.