Despite his reputation as a cult leader, Dave has a long way to go before I start worshipping him. First of all, he’s just human, and barely even that since he’s majoring in engineering. When I went to his room to interview him, he was studying a plain, get-it-at-any-church Bible instead of writing the Gospel of Dave.

And then when he offered me something to drink, he didn’t even have Kool-Aid.

No, Dave Newendorp, senior in mechanical engineering, is a pretty normal guy. He’s easy-going and sincere and not half as interesting as the brimstone-spewing fiend that his detractors have made him out to be.

When Campus Crusade for Christ began organizing the “Do you agree with ____” campaign, Dave was a natural choice for his comfort with public speaking and his, as he calls it, “thick skin.” He prayed and fasted for a week before accepting the role.

Even though he, or his name at least, has been in the spotlight, his life has been, well, just about the same.

He’s received a few more hostile e-mails and phone calls than normal. But his friends really weren’t that surprised when he first wore his “I Am Dave” tee, and he’s been actively sharing his faith before this all started.

“Everyone I knew seemed to take it in stride,” he says. “Nothing’s really changed.”

It’s great that things are going normally for at least someone, because the rest of the campus seems to have gone apocalyptic since the “Dave” posters appeared on campus. I can’t remember the last time I’ve sat down at a meal or walked into a classroom where Dave’s name hasn’t popped up. Just the sight of anything lime green sparks a debate, some of which result in angry people wishing they could legally play the Happy Pi¤ata Game with Dave’s head to make the craze go away.

Luckily, though, if Dave is to believed, the buzz will die down soon after this week. He doesn’t want his name to be remembered but rather for people to “step back and take a look at where they are in their lives and what they do believe.”

It’s a nice message, but as everyone knows by now, Dave’s beliefs are passionate and uncompromising and hard for many to stomach. During Dave’s spiel yesterday, the Atheist and Agnostic Society did the right thing by peaceably passing out flyers that opposed Dave’s views.

Other people throughout the week have been more vocal and vulgar about Dave, his beliefs and his mother. I don’t pity Dave.

He knew exactly what he was getting into and that he could handle it, and he deserves to get reamed because that’s what happens when you make a stand for your beliefs.

What really bothered me, though, were the students who couldn’t accept the fact that someone was making a stand and at the same time, exercising their First Amendment rights.

It seemed as if some students were blissfully skipping through the Pasture of Higher Learning and then the Free Speech Monster ran out and mugged them. These students complained so bitterly about how the “I Agree With Dave” shirts were ramming religion down their throats that I’m afraid to imagine what kind of epileptic fit they fly into when a TV commercial break comes on. And I can just hear the advertising majors running over each other to take advantage of people whose wills are so flimsy that they start changing religions at the sight of a green t-shirt.

Now, I think people are justified in being annoyed at some aspects of the campaign.

For example, I don’t think it was worth cutting down a forest so that every square foot of campus could be blanketed with flyers, as if seeing 900 flyers instead of nine will push you over to Dave’s side. And I just don’t see how turning the campus into a circus with all those green balloons fits in ( “Here he comes! -Jesus, the Knife-Eating Savior!!!”).

But I respect the rest of the campaign as being a way, as Dave puts it, for people to step out and express what they believe. Is it annoyingly up-front? Yes, but Jesus got in people’s faces too – He wasn’t crucified because He spent His time picking posies and reciting the Golden Rule. And the First Amendment was never defended without stepping on people’s toes.

If you don’t agree with Dave – that’s fine. He doesn’t have the power nor would he want to force anything on you. But keep in mind that he, and those who share his beliefs, are expressing the rights that we often forget we have.

Dan Nguyen

is a senior in computer

engineering and journalism

and mass communication from Iowa City.