As many of you are undoubtedly aware, one of our fellow students has recently gone missing.

According to various statements, news releases and posters, the student, Jonathan Lacina, was last seen the night of Jan. 22, leaving a friend’s place, at 300 Stanton Ave.

First, we’d like to say that the Editorial Board hopes Jon is found quickly and in safe conditions.

Secondly, we’d like to encourage the ISU community to band together, not only in support of Jon and his family, but for all your fellow students and community members.

How often have we remained silent on CyRide, even when seated next to a face we recognize yet never speak with?

How many times do we leave our dorms or apartments at the same time as our neighbors, acknowledging their presence with hardly anything more than a nod?

How many seats have we left empty in a classroom because we’d rather not sit by people we don’t know, even though we see them regularly and develop an understanding and sometimes appreciation for their personality?

These familiar strangers are not idle pieces of scenery during your college adventure. They’re real people with real lives, hopes, dreams, fears, loves and more.

Jon was last seen on Jan. 22. The alert went out more than a week later, when Jon’s father reported not being able to get a hold of his son.

We on the Editorial Board understand that, as college students, we are far more independent than we were as high school students. We also understand that college is a time of defining oneself, and there may be certain people we just don’t feel like being around or talking to.

But, at the same time, we are all part of one community, and we should have a connection and responsibility to one another.

How much sooner could police have been notified if someone on Jon’s floor had been close enough to the young man to notice his absence?

When Jon left the building on Jan. 22, did someone call to make sure he got home safely?

Did Jon venture out alone that night, or was he surrounded by friends who would watch his back and keep him safe?

We’re not saying those close to Jon didn’t do these things. We don’t mean to criticize his friends. If anything, we should look to such friends as examples of what we should be.

We should know that when someone needs help, we should offer assistance in whatever way we can and, sometimes, that means something as simple as being there for someone or getting to know them.

Reach out to your community members. Say hello, learn their name, make small talk. In today’s age of Facebook updates, Twitter feeds and instant messaging, it’s easy to forget the lost art of conversation — that the people around you are real.

They are real. Jon’s disappearance is reminding us of that, in a powerful way.

A lot of us wish we could do something about it, but don’t know how to help. But as stated above, there really is a simple solution.

Keep an open heart, mind and hand. Because when someone really needs help, maybe it’ll be your hand they catch.

If you have any information regarding Jon Lacina’s disappearance, no matter how trivial it may seem, please contact ISU Police at 515-294-4428 or Ames Police at 515-239-5133.