To say the least, it’s been a crazy 48-hours at Iowa State. Here at the Daily, the crazier things get, the busier we get. In fact, at the time of this writing there’s a flurry of activity in the newsroom.

Veishea, is a celebration. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of students and faculty who don’t feel much like celebrating.

In fact, it hardly seems worth using the word “celebration” this week.

We’re two students short: Travis James Good, senior in civil engineering, and Jonathan Francis Lacina, senior in graphic design. The former passed away late Tuesday evening. The latter’s body was discovered Wednesday evening.

Even with a student body of more than 27,000, two seems to be too large a number.

We know it’s Veishea. We also know that everyone handles grief differently.

We’re not here to tell you to “try and think about better things in order to enjoy Veishea.”

At this time of the year, with exams looming and rocks literally falling from the sky, we hope that you, Iowa State’s community, do exactly what you need to do to recover.

We want to tell you all, from faculty and staff workers to student and family, that we are a community, and however a community pulls through is okay.

Whatever you need to do or avoid doing to personally finish out a week that no one saw coming is okay.

If it feels right, forego Veishea in favor of somber reflection. If you need to get out, Veishea weekend is the ideal time to do just that, and, better still, the forecast looks great.

Ideally, college would involve five simple steps: eat, study, play, sleep, repeat.

Nobody wants to mention grief, stress, disappointment, exhaustion, inadequacy, insecurity and the other grab-bag of emotions each of us has felt on occasion.

Life is short, and, too frequently, it’s too short. The status quo sneaks up and, before we know it, we’re in a rut.

Needless to say, many students here have been rattled loose, and it’s time to recover.

Tragedies test the mettle of the communities they strike. Some people will lose it, and those people need support now more than ever.

So, be considerate this weekend: considerate of what you say, what you do and what others around you are feeling.

Each of us comes from our own unique set of circumstances, and even those who never knew Good or Lacina, may have other emotions stirred to the surface.

As a community, we can show we care simply by making concerted personal efforts to show compassion.

This needn’t be a heavy time, only a delicate one. Veishea is a time to come together and celebrate Iowa State.

Now that we’re together, let’s show that we’re more than just rowdy kids, but that we’re loving, caring individuals ready to have a good time.

Enjoy Veishea. Stay safe. Do what feels right.