FULLERTON : 250 Students Hold Peaceful ‘Speak-Out’

If Cal State Fullerton students have seemed mute on the Persian Gulf War, all that changed Thursday. More than 250 turned out for a noontime “speak-out” on the fourth day of the new semester.

The boisterous event drew a range of anti-war and pro-Bush Administration policy speakers to a microphone set up in the quadrangle, officials said.

“It was pretty peaceful--there weren’t too many shouting matches,” said Alison Quirion, 20, a communications major from Buena Park.

Occasional boos from the crowd peppered the remarks of 20 to 30 speakers, said Kandy Mink, coordinator for the student activities center.

While campuses across the country have proved hotbeds of anti-war sentiment, things had been quiet at Fullerton because the campus was virtually shut down for its annual mid-semester break until this week.

Thursday’s “speak out” is likely a sign of things to come if student requests are any indication. Mink said organizers are trying to decide whether to schedule the open-microphone hour for the same time and day each week or to vary it for students whose class schedules may conflict.