Last Thursday’s vandalism on the wall near Hamilton Hall is abhorrent. Simply put, this is an institution of higher education and petty vandalism is the lowest form of uneducated expression.

The debate about the inherent right or wrong of homosexuality, the debate about religion and lifestyle choice, and ISU administrators’ responsibility in handling this situation is all secondary in my mind to the level of apathy that we, as students, show those who would damage part of our school.

Messages like the spray-painted words near Hamilton Hall or those on Durham or Student Services last semester give the impression that Iowa State is an unaccepting, uninviting and closed-minded place — something I do not feel to be true. Without peer disapproval for these actions, the behavior of these immature individuals will not change and this brand of hate-driven vandalism will continue.

The universal message from the student body to the propagators of such a childish act of vandalism should be unfaltering and concise: Grow Up.

Denise Williams

Senior

Psychology and English