Though Megan Prater had her own job at a work event in LSU’s Free Speech Alley, the only thing she could focus on was the man on her right condemning passing students to hell.
After being forced to hear the man’s preachings for over an hour, Prater was irritated. She wanted to approach him after her shift to ask him what he was doing.
“I felt very embarrassed that parents and students had to come to this event and listen to people shouting so loud they couldn’t even hear the actual volunteers for the LSU event,” Prater said.
Prater is not the only student who reported negative experiences with free speech on LSU’s campus. In the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression’s 2025 College Free Speech Rankings, LSU ranked 199 out of 257 colleges.
This ranking means that students on LSU’s campus feel uncomfortable expressing their thoughts and opinions for fear of backlash. Some of these negative instances could have occurred in LSU’s public forum, Free Speech Alley.
Free Speech Alley is an area in front of the LSU Student Union specifically designated for exchanging ideas and opinions. The walkway often attracts a diverse collection of people, from clubs searching for new members to locals selling jewelry and crafts.
Margot H. Carroll, the assistant vice president of LSU’s Auxiliary Services, stated that Free Speech Alley is “an open public space that is first come, first serve.” Reservations are not accepted for the area and the space is not strictly regulated, meaning anyone is free to set up a table in the alley.
However, this freedom can sometimes lead to an unpleasant speech climate. The FIRE study reflected this with 61% of students stating they self-censor regularly. Prater’s experience is one example in which a student felt uncomfortable voicing their opinion.
Prater asked the man why he was shouting at students. Though Prater said she approached him peacefully, the man quickly began to argue with her. He pulled out his Bible and declared that it said she was a sinner, despite Prater’s protests.
“For every Bible verse he read to me,” Prater said, “I made a point to tell him to read the context before the verse to better understand it. There was absolutely nothing that could connect his preaching to the actual scripture.”
The man Prater spoke to is a member of the Consuming Fire Fellowship, an independent evangelical church in Gloster, Mississippi, about 57 miles away from Baton Rouge. The church group frequently visits Free Speech Alley in an attempt to spread its beliefs, though these sermons can cause controversy among students such as Prater.
Prater described that she came away from the conversation feeling worse than before.
“The experience made me feel extremely emotionally drained,” Prater said. “I realized these were just hateful, ignorant people. They are not willing to have a discussion and acknowledge your ideas. It’s only why they are correct and you are wrong.”
The Consuming Fire Fellowship’s form of street preaching includes brandishing signs and loudly quoting Bible verses at those passing through Free Speech Alley. Some of their signage includes phrases like “God’s judgment is coming” and “You deserve hellfire.”
Their sermons and signs are known for containing controversial topics, such as abortion and LGBTQ+ rights. One especially controversial sign displays an extensive list of people going to hell. This list includes feminists, fornicators and Catholics.
Consuming Fire Pastor Britt Williams agreed that his church’s actions are a point of contention around campus. However, he explained that the group had experienced disdain from students since its establishment in the 1990s. The opposition members face at LSU is merely a part of spreading their beliefs.
“The Bible clearly states that the world will hate you; the world will persecute you,” Williams said. “All that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution, so we expect that. We don’t consider that a negative.”
Williams, who has been preaching in Free Speech Alley since the 1980s, declared that students around campus are easily tempted to sin. He said that Consuming Fire’s main goal in regularly visiting Free Speech Alley is to save these students from hell.
“We’re bringing everyone to Jesus,” Williams said, “but they have a choice whether they’re going to follow Christ or not, so [our methods are] effective in that way. Everyone that it doesn’t save, it informs and damns. So in that sense, it’s effective.”
However, not all religious individuals who visit Free Speech Alley with their religious proclamations are viewed negatively. Ivan Imes, known around campus as the “Jesus Talk” man, has been practicing his faith on campus for over 17 years.
Imes’ preaching methods are vastly different from Consuming Fire’s. Imes sits quietly in a chair in Free Speech Alley, wearing a shirt that says “Jesus Talk.” He sits across from an empty chair, waiting for someone to choose to chat with him about God.
“This semester, there have been seven students that prayed to be saved right here,” Imes said last spring. “Isn’t that crazy?”
Imes said that he cannot recall the last negative encounter he had with a student. He noted that his most memorable bad experiences were not with students at all, but with Consuming Fire. He referred to the group as “screamers.”
According to Imes, Williams has tried to listen to and interrupt his conversations with students and has attempted to start verbal altercations on numerous occasions. This behavior only stopped after Imes pleaded with Williams to leave him alone.
“They can’t stand being challenged,” Imes said.
LSU’s Free Speech Alley is meant to be a place for individuals to speak out about their opinions. Its visitors expressing discomfort and having challenging encounters with preachers demonstrates that Free Speech Alley is currently not achieving its purpose for many.
Prater’s advice for new students is to avoid Free Speech Alley entirely.
“When these religious people want to tell you something, they will do anything to get your attention,” Prater said. “It’s better to not pass Free Speech Alley at all so that you don’t get screamed at.”