Pro tip: Saved $60 by not buying the campus speech permit

At Southern State College last fall, the admin said I needed a $60 permit to hand out flyers about the free speech event. I paid it, showed up, and they still said my table was in a 'protest-free zone'. Got my money back after three emails but the event was dead. Anyone else get burned by letting the school process your money before checking the rules?

2 comments

2 Comments

henrygrant26d ago

Last year at Ohio U they charged me $45 for a "speech zone permit" and then the designated zone was this tiny patch of grass behind the dumpsters by the science building. I showed up early, set up my table, and a security guard told me I couldn't actually talk to anyone because it was a "quiet study corridor" area. I fought it for two weeks and got my money back but the whole thing was a joke. Schools love taking your cash upfront because they know most people won't bother to fight it later.

mia_singh2426d ago

Starting with small print - that's the trick I learned the hard way too. After getting runaround at my local college, I started emailing the department head for written confirmation before paying a single fee. Getting someone to put their rules in writing usually shuts down the nonsense before it starts.