After gathering input from across the ISU community, the Principles Commission finalized a draft regarding principles of community on Thursday.

If the draft is endorsed by various legislative bodies around the ISU campus, it will be presented to ISU President Gregory Geoffroy for official adoption later this semester. Endorsement proposals will be conducted throughout March.

Principles Commission Co-chairman Philip Hernandez said the final draft can be viewed online through the Government of the Student Body Web site. A decision to embrace a longer version of the principles was made to be more descriptive and encompassing, but remains nonetheless succinct, Hernandez said.

Although the draft has been finalized, Hernandez said obstacles remain.

“The challenge still remains for the community to rally behind the draft,” he said.

During the information gathering process, the commission held focus groups to gather feedback, then wrote a rough draft of principles. After the rough draft was made public in January through the GSB Web site, more feedback was gathered via online communication.

Hernandez, graduate student in education leadership and policy studies, said documenting principles is revolutionary because it was initiated and generated mostly by students.

“By having this lead by students and through students, it challenges the status quo of students not being engaged,” Hernandez said.

If adopted, Iowa State would join other land-grant universities including Michigan State, Kansas State, Penn State and the University of California-Santa Cruz as schools with community principle statements.

Principles Commission member Warren Blumenfeld said it’s important for people to know that this process will not end with a document that just sits in the dark, and the committee is mandated to make sure that it takes a tangible form.

Both Blumenfeld, assistant professor in multicultural education, and Hernandez agreed that having these principles will help to make the community more proactive, instead of reactive.

Basil Mahayni, graduate student in political science and commission member, said at times it is difficult to treat hate crimes because of a lack of awareness.

“I think sometimes there is a lack of realization as to what’s really going on and what it does to the targeted community, especially when there is not an active response against the hate,” Mahayni said.

Principles Commission member Laura Franklin said establishing principles could help to provide a better campus wide support system.

“If you are a victim, it’s important to know that Iowa State doesn’t stand for it and this is a way to legitimize that,” said Franklin, program assistant for the student support services program.