Anti-abortion protesters were on campus March 17 near the Visual Arts Building.
Citrus’ mental health supervisor Nadine Henley said that students and staff were distressed by the aggressive way the protesters spread information.
“I escorted a student to her classroom because she came in crying,” Henley said. “She said they offered her the pamphlet, and when she said ‘No thank you,’ and went to walk, they stepped in her path.”
“An American Horror Story”, the pamphlet read as it detailed the “organ harvesting” of 18-to-24-week-old fetuses.
“We have had students who’ve been sexually assaulted, so this could be a trigger and you(the protesters) created a barrier,” Henley said.
Citrus’ Campus Safety was on the scene when the protesters first set up around 10 a.m. near the VA Building.
Superintendent/President Greg Schulz said that when Campus Safety first became aware of the protesters on campus, they monitored them throughout the day.
The Campus Safety team determined that protesters’ presence was in accordance with the First Amendment of the United States Constitution as well as with Citrus’ policies and procedures concerning free speech, Schulz said.
Schulz said there was no violation of AP 3900 or BP 3900.
Board policy 3900 states that the district will not restrict free forms of expression in areas defined as “generally available to students and the community.”
Citrus lists areas like walkways, common and grassy areas under these guidelines, which falls under the area where the protesters were.
Schulz said Citrus acknowledges that there are often diverse viewpoints presented on college campuses, either coming from the campus community or an outside organization who visits the campus to share their perspectives and interest in engaging with the students and staff.
Tim Clemet, an anti-abortion protester known as Wolverine said, “The reason why we like to come to schools is because we want to make change here first.”
Henley said that four students and two staff members came to the mental health center in distress after their interactions with the protesters.
“I’m super supportive of free speech, but students have the right to get to class and feel safe, what happened was concerning,” Henley said.
“No is a no.”
Clarion staff reporters Blanca Carrasco and Jacqueline Horan contributed to this story.
This story was updated at 9:15 a.m. on March 19 by removing photos and updating context.
