Editor’s note: This is an accompanying piece to Bill Waite’s column.

We got Bill Waite’s column almost two months ago. We read it. We talked about it. We read it again, and talked about it some more. We were stumped.

We wanted to put this piece in the paper. It’s well-written. It’s honest, almost to a fault. But more importantly, it’s a voice that’s missing from the conversation on school violence and shootings. We’ve heard the tragedies at NIU and Virginia Tech dissected and analyzed thousands of times, but no one is talking to the people who’ve had these violent thoughts, the people who can bring something new to the national psyche.

If we’re going to address the issue of violence in schools, why aren’t we involving these people in the discussion? This issue isn’t going to solve itself, and it’s not going to be solved by leaving those with violent thoughts in the dark. But we also knew this wasn’t something you just threw in the paper.

We looked at all of the different scenarios. What implications does running this piece have on our readers? Our staff? How could running this affect Bill’s future?

And when we exhausted all of our ideas, we talked to others. Does Bill present a threat to the newsroom or others? someone asked. Why don’t you print it anonymously? asked someone else. What’s Bill’s support group like? many asked. Does he pose a threat to himself?

Truth is, they’re all valid questions. We had considered them before, but as we saw them come up more and more, we realized these were the themes and issues we had to address. We also realized that we weren’t qualified to answer all these questions.

As editors of the Iowa State Daily, this has been one of the toughest decisions we’ve faced. Simply put, pieces like this don’t make the national media often, if ever. There’s no protocol for handling this situation.

And for good reason, some of you may think. The essay deals with some of the darker facets of the human condition – violence, rape, depression, isolation – and while both the piece and Bill move beyond these states, it’s easy to dwell on the negatives.

One man has done more than anyone else to help us see the positives in this essay, in addition to echoing our motivations for running it and quashing any of our lingering fears of danger. When our editorial adviser, Mark Witherspoon, went to ISU Police Cmdr. Gene Deisinger for advice, we didn’t know what to expect. Certainly not the reaction we got.

Deisinger, who has a Ph.D. in counseling psychology and more than 15 years experience in the field, said he views the column as a positive. While the first two-thirds of the piece raised some red flags, focusing only on those would be a disservice to everyone involved.

“As soon as the element of violence is introduced into the equation, the fear drives us to avoidance,” Deisinger said. “We have found in most situations that that’s the least helpful thing to do.”

In many ways, the most helpful thing to do, Deisinger says, is to engage with someone and listen to what he or she has to say.

“The majority are trying to find a way to be heard. That doesn’t mean we agree with or endorse what they’re saying,” he said.

Of course, handling a situation where someone is suicidal or is having violent thoughts is never easy. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach for dealing with a situation like this, Deisinger says. As general principles, he suggests:

Engagement when the person allows it.

Don’t face it alone – share your concerns with someone else.

Remember: If no one knows, no one can help.

That doesn’t mean all cries for help, all attempts to reach out are appropriate, Deisinger says. Threats are never acceptable, and you should approach the proper authorities so they can deal with those.

In the end, Deisinger believes discussing and engaging these feelings doesn’t make us less safe, but gives us more tools to handle the situation.

“It doesn’t change the reality – it changes our awareness of the reality,” Deisinger said.

“We can’t tell people not to feel. But don’t allow the emotional response to be the sole response without knowing it’s the best response.”

It takes an incredible amount of courage to tell someone you’ve had violent thoughts. It takes even more courage to put those thoughts into words – and something else entirely to allow those words to be published. And just as much, it takes courage to read something like Bill’s piece and respond levelheadedly.

Publishing this has been a process for everyone. We’ve talked with Bill at length and asked if he’s ready to face the repercussions of publishing this – not just now, but in the future. Five years from now, when he’s looking for a job, is he ready to face possible discrimination? And what about right now? We can believe that his message is a positive one – and we do – but we can’t guarantee that other people – perhaps even you, reading this column – won’t treat him differently.

Bill understands this, and he still wants it published. We’ve talked at length, and we still want it published. We think it’s honest, well-written and powerful, and we think it can start an important conversation. We hope it does.

– Josh Hillman is a senior in journalism and mass communication from Cedar Rapids. He is the Daily opinion editor. Daily Editor in Chief Pat Shaver contributed to this piece.