An afternoon of sun and snoozing on The Oval becomes a favorite pastime for any student during spring quarter. Students rest at ease while on The Oval, enjoying a brief time away from the strenuous world of lectures, labs and recitations.

Most students know they’re not the only ones out there. Private solicitors frequently roam high-traffic campus areas, such as The Oval, approaching students while they relax.

Andrea Yitsis, a senior in early childhood development, said she is annoyed when approached by solicitors while on campus. She said her mind is usually busy with other things, and she doesn’t have the time to deal with solicitors.

“I’m stressed out enough by getting to class on time. I have no time to think about it,” Yitsis said. “I take the stuff and throw it away two seconds later.”

Senior Associate Registrar Jim Palavin said any solicitor coming onto campus must have a sponsor – either a student organization, such as a fraternity or sorority, or an OSU department, to legally solicit on OSU property.

“They must be affiliated to OSU in some way,” Palavin said.

All private parties need a permit from the university’s scheduling office to solicit anything to anyone on OSU property. A portion of the profits made by a solicitor, such as magazine sales, go to the university.

“A lot of times people come onto campus without following the proper procedures,” Palavin said.

Sean Gilbow, a solicitor for a health company, wanders The Oval in search of potential recruits, namely students in their 20s, interested in joining his company. He said he has talked with hundreds of people on campus and knows the rules.

“I do not sell anything on The Oval. Giving out information should not require a permit,” Gilbow said.

Despite Gilbow’s justification of his presence on campus, he still carries proper identification and a solicitor’s permit issued by OSU’s scheduling office. He said the information given to him by any student remains confidential.

University Police Chief Ron Michalec said the police have received complaints from students upset with on-campus solicitors. The complaints varied from a solicitor pushing themselves too hard onto a student to solicitors going door to door in residence halls.

Students are also all too familiar with the plethora of credit card solicitors scattered throughout campus offering free T-shirts or phone cards in exchange for a completed application. Often times, the credit cards offer high interest rates and do much damage to students’ credit history, but the chance to snag a free shirt or free minutes to call home is too tempting to pass up.

The overabundance of credit card solicitors causes the university to turn away some companies, allowing only certain credit cards to maintain presence on campus, Palavin said.

Palavin suggested students should call the scheduling office or contact OSU police if they feel the need to file a complaint concerning any on-campus solicitor. He said students have the right to ask any on-campus solicitor for their identification and permit.

Gilbow knows his casual business proposal may come across as somewhat fishy, but he said that can only be expected.

“There is a suspicious element to this, and I would be concerned if anyone showed immediate and definite interest in joining,” he said.

Gilbow also refuses to approach women who are alone because of the possibility of being mistaken for a violent criminal, he said.