When he isn’t driving trucks across Iowa or spending time with his family, Merlin Jones has a single passion: spreading the word of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Thousands of students pass by him on any given day. He stands in front of the library with a small yellow sign, the words “Bible Talk” inked across it, and waits patiently to be approached.

Jones has used the Agora for well over a year and has appreciated exercising his freedoms on Iowa State’s campus.

“I love it. I’m glad for the opportunity and I enjoy doing it,” Jones said. He’s made a lot of friends during his preaching and said almost all who talk to him do so openly and considerately.

But Jones is not the only man of God to frequent the Agora. Every fall, students at Iowa State face a barrage of believers preaching fire and brimstone to the “sinners” of Iowa State.

“The other preachers … I don’t have anything to do with that. That’s not me,” Jones said. He insists he’s just a man who believes the Bible to be true in every word and comes to Iowa State to “bring a warning.”

Jones was a student at Iowa State about 50 years ago, a time when the Agora was often used to express a different message: condemning the war in Vietnam.

Warren Madden, former senior vice president for business and finance, called Iowa State home for 50 years. The campus has always been a free speech zone, and Madden recalls a time of vigorous protests across campus during the 1960s.

“Vietnam was a very challenging time across the country,” Madden said.

He said students were blocking draft buses, demonstrating against the ROTC at the Armory and protesting Dow Chemical, which manufactured chemical weapons like Agent Orange during the war.

Agent Orange is a herbicide designed to destroy an enemy’s crop supply. During the war, between 2.1 and 4.8 million Vietnamese civilians were exposed to Agent Orange.

Richard Stone of Science magazine reported possible correlations between health issues and the toxic chemical in 2007.

In his article “Agent Orange’s Bitter Harvest,” Stone said it’s difficult to verify any causation “between [Agent Orange] and human illness.” But he also insisted that Vietnam lacked sufficient funds to conduct proper research on the matter.

Regardless of medical effects, Agent Orange devastated farms and food supplies of countless Vietnamese civilians. The outrage at Iowa State was felt nationwide.

“Those protests were impressionable because there was a great deal of passion,” Madden remembered.

Madden said “protests influenced the resolution of the conflict,” and the war ended in 1975. Anti-war demonstrations at Iowa State then subsided.

The term “free speech zone” began to describe different places on campuses where people protested. This led students to believe Iowa State was restricting freedom of speech.

Despite these misconceptions, the administration never did anything of the sort. Cole Staudt, former student body president, even submitted a statement to settle the matter.

 “We don’t have free speech zones; the entire campus is free expression,” Staudt explained to the Iowa State Daily in the fall of 2016.

This means people, not just students, can speak freely anywhere at Iowa State and have done so for a very long time.

Madden remembered a time when advertisers were far more prevalent across campus. Iowa State has a right to allow companies to advertise to students, and for a time, tobacco companies would offer students cigarettes as they walked to their classes.

“Most [non-students] who come onto campus are trying to build their customer base,” Madden said.

Door-to-door salesmen used to frequent Iowa State residence halls when married students were a more popular phenomenon.

The commercialization on Iowa State’s campus has diminished since then but is still a popular occurrence.

Madden saw the campus physically change throughout his years at the university. Different “hubs,” as he calls them, have popped up all over campus, typically correlating with frequent foot traffic and building additions. Today, the most popular of these “hubs” is directly in front of Parks Library.

The area surrounding the Campanile was popularized for scenic reasons and has even hosted weddings. People can also showcase events there without disturbing ongoing classes.

Madden and other administrators developed policies for free speech on campus. He believes they were successful in creating fair policies for concerned students.

As long as there is freedom of speech, there will be people voicing unpopular opinions. Madden said this is the flip side of the First Amendment and must be accepted for the sake of American values.

“The university can develop policies about time, place and manner, but can’t control content,” Madden said.

He noted students could often avoid activists if they wish, given the open landscape of the campus.

Despite the passionate and controversial protesting, Madden declared his 50 years as an administrator as free of any “major incidents.” He’s satisfied with how Iowa State has and continues to maintain freedom of speech for its students.

These last few months at Iowa State have been somewhat reminiscent of the 1960s. The most recent presidential election inspired many protests on campus, and student groups continue to be active on a daily basis.

In wake of issues like the travel ban and the UC Berkeley riots, many began to feel like their First Amendment rights may be compromised.

Madden suggested that Iowa State and all public universities should be untiring advocates of freedom of speech. To him, infringement on anyone’s rights is detrimental for everyone.

“I find it unfortunate when groups protest against another group’s right to speech,” he said. “If we want to have this kind of environment, we ought to be willing to present all sides of issues.”

Madden retired from Iowa State in spring 2016, and speakers like Merlin Jones continue to congregate in the Agora to have their voices heard.