While the SF State campus consists of students with varying beliefs, one thing that remains constant is the relentless campus solicitors who lurk in the unavoidable pathways to class.

When they see me, head down, pretending to talk on my phone, darting in their opposite direction, it is my sincere hope that one day they won’t approach me, with their fliers and clip boards in hand. I am a student, on a campus – therefore, I am en-route to one of three things: home, class or food, all of which are vital to my existence.

No, I don’t want to save the environment, impeach Bush (well maybe I do, but not now, not with them), or adopt a child from Ecuador - the last of which I was conned into.

When I was told that I could pay for this kid’s education, food and livelihood for the “cost of a Student Center burrito,” the guilt overwhelmed me.

With the potential child’s photograph and crayon drawings being waved in front of me, all I could think was, “How could I deny this child so much just to satisfy my need for Mexican food?”

The problem with campus solicitors is the used car salesman tactic they impose on students who are either in no position to donate money, or are overwhelmed by the onslaught of ideas on those clipboards. Students come to school to learn, and to get away from the craziness that exists in the outlying city. When the overpowering actions of the urban area impose on me while I am in an educational setting, complications ensue.

It only took me a few seconds to completely regret signing the form that would keep me liable for a monthly fee of $15, which may be nothing, but I felt scammed. The process of canceling my monthly monetary motherhood made me feel even worse.

The act of believing wholeheartedly in a cause is commendable, and attempts to recruit the masses are even more so. Solicitors who are attempting to inform and engage might be furthering the education of the unknowledgeable. They possibly even enlist interested parties who may not have otherwise found causes they care about.

Although San Francisco is a place for the free expression of opinions, that shouldn’t necessarily apply when that act encroaches on the freedom students have to walk to and from classes without being hassled. If solicitors placed themselves and their clipboards behind tables, they would gain attention from those who are interested and voluntarily willing to join them in their pursuits.