St. Edward’s University students are petitioning the Student Government Association to pass legislation to create a free speech zone on campus.

A free speech zone is a specified place on campus where students may voice their opinions without interference from their universities.

Junior Nicole Seligman, co-leader of the on-campus feminist group Women Empowerment, said the idea to send the letters came from various students concerned about St. Edward’s voice speaking over their own, especially after the university rejected gay rights group Equality Texas from its nonprofit fair because its position on gay marriage conflicted with Catholic teachings.

“I think after disagreements between student groups and Campus Ministry, the university assumes that the students don’t care enough to speak out for change,” Seligman said.

Seligman and other Women Empowerment members distributed letters during a meeting on Sept.. 23 so that members could sign and send them to their SGA senators. The letters request that SGA work to establish a free speech zone on campus. Seligman said that the letters are now being distributed to students at random.

Some administrators of public universities have restricted protests to free speech zones, believing that they prevent the protests from interfering with the daily functions of the university, according to the First Amendment Center’s website.

But students have not always been satisfied that the zones provide a strong enough protection of freedom of speech.

Students from public universities across the country have sued their schools, claiming that free speech zones violate their First Amendment rights. Two students at the University of Texas at El Paso sued their school for its free speech zone policy in 2003, hoping to establish unrestrained expression on campus.

Seligman believes that free speech zones are what students at St. Edward’s need.

“St. Edward’s students have a wide range of opinions that may or may not coincide with the university’s values,” Seligman said. “A free speech zone would give students a place to speak out and educate the university as a whole.”

Junior Karissa Eudy, SGA’s chair of Student Outreach and senator of the School of Education, said she is working with other members of SGA to turn the letters they’ve received into an action plan.

“It’s a fantastic idea and we want to do our best to make it a reality,” Eudy said.

Eudy said that the idea to establish a free speech zone must be drafted into legislation and passed through the Legislative Initiatives Committee prior to being brought before the Senate.

She said the idea will be discussed this week in SGA’s Executive Board meeting and will probably be presented to the association as a whole within the next two weeks.

If SGA does establish a free speech zone, Seligman said that she hopes groups other than Women Empowerment will use it to educate students.

“We advocate being informed about every facet of an issue, and I can’t imagine why St. Edward’s would choose to stifle learning,” Seligman said.