It is apparent to me the action has taken in recent months regarding the availability of parking during home football games is both unwise and unfair. This is just one of the recent issues that concern me.

Is the university aware of the fact that it is students who allow events like college football to happen? Is the university aware that Iowa State exists because of students? Is the university aware that students play a major factor in the economic wellness of this community?

Football is a student event. Without students, the university would have no National Cyclone Club, no donors, no football games at all.

The university forcing the primary driving factor behind football farther away from it.

Students not only are football players, fan, and supporters, they are the spirit of this university.

Students create jobs throughout this community. They draw new businesses, spend money and pay taxes schools.

This community needs students — it has come to depend on them, and yet they are not respected.

Students do make mistakes, but that is what students do. They are here to learn from those mistakes and become more able to serve society.

The student population, however, does many great things: charity work, fundraising, many community-wide events and sporting events.

If the university likes being able to use students to its advantage, monetarily or otherwise, be careful. Every action taken against students — actions like not allowing furniture outside, drinking policies, housing policies, raising sales tax instead of property tax for new schools and changing the lots students can park in on game days — only fuels the desire for students to organize and revolt.

I wonder how tightly the university can squeeze 28,000 college students before something pops.

Students are members of this community who have been portrayed in an unfair light.

They are seen only as a problem, an obstacle that needs to be overcome.

The community needs to be reminded from time to time how the city would be without students around.

How many great events just wouldn’t happen in Ames anymore? How many jobs would be lost?

For all the “trouble” students create, the fact is this community needs them.

Students give so much to Iowa State and Ames; try giving something back. They aren’t asking for much, only something they once owned that the university has taken from them.

Jacob Miller

Sophomore

Pre-Business