Solicitation ban sometimes unknown, disobeyed at CCC

By Daquan Witcher
CCC Journalism Program

Among the rules in the Camden County College Student Handbook is one that many students and visitors do not know and sometimes violate — Solicitation is forbidden on the college’s campuses.

Soliciting any items on any Camden County College campus without the college’s permission is banned, according to the handbook. Campus security officers are responsible for catching violators. The dean of students is responsible for giving out the punishment if the violators are caught more than once.

The ban includes trying to sell things such as tickets and distributing flyers without permission, said Public Safety Director Steve Hetherington. Students may request permission to conduct such activities from Dean of Students James N. Canonica. If he grants approval, he notifies Hetherington, the public safety director said.

Hetherington stated outsiders sometimes visit the campuses to try to make money by selling tickets. They interrupt classes, though some teachers allow it. Hetherington described these solicitors as frauds.

Some students solicit items such as cigarettes and other tobacco products on the campuses. The use of tobacco products is prohibited on the campuses.

Student Hawa Lari said she witnessed students soliciting cigarettes, Black & Milds and other tobacco products on the Camden city campus. “At the Camden campus people always smoke, so they sell cigarettes for a dollar to their friends and make a profit,” Lari said, noting she considered buying cigarettes despite having no desire to smoke because it would be an easy way to make money.

She said she witnessed the solicitations mostly around lunchtime and stated some people came onto the campus from the nearby Walter Rand Transportation Center to try to sell cigarettes to students.