Concerning the matter of the resolution to remove Martin Jischke’s name from the new Honors Building, it seems that efforts on the part of the Faculty Senate and student government are so far landing on deaf ears.

Furthermore, President Gregory Geoffroy has made it clear that he also does not support the changing of the name.

Who is left to effect change? The general student and faculty population are left, and especially honors people; we are the ones who are going to use the building in question.

How can these populations ensure our building isn’t dishonored, as such? The building is already finished, so we can’t do much that’s preventive in nature, and vandalism, such as what happened to the construction sign, is certainly not an answer.

We could continue to yap at the Board of Regents, but look at what good that did in the case of the September 29th Movement. It’s still Catt Hall and it will always be Catt Hall. Therefore, there is one solution left.

I propose that all students and faculty strike the Martin C. Jischke building during the coming years. If you’re disgusted by the fact that a building designed especially for you is named after a former president that did not care about students and did little, if anything, to improve the honors program, simply don’t go in.

Unless mandated by course participation (such as the Freshmen Honors Seminars) or by one’s faculty duties, no one should use the building at all, for any reason, including after-hours studying, social events and tours until those in charge realize that they have broken their own rules, both legal and ethical.

With this idea in mind, I would like the Regents to ask themselves which of the following is more important – the honoring of a former president, or the efficient and proper use of university funds and labor.

Everything else aside, the obvious answer to that question is the latter. After all, it’s a big part of the Board’s job to make sure that whatever happens at this university is in it’s best interest. The university’s best interest is that the new Honors Building be used to its fullest capacity.

You, as a student or faculty member, can transfer that responsibility from your hands into the Regents’ by pledging that you won’t have any part of this travesty.

Some might say that this proposal is useless, and it could very well be that it is embraced, and yet both sides refuse to budge, so the building just stands there for years to come, gathering dust. Do we make ourselves look bad by doing letting that happen?

There are other places to study, socialize and hold events; we will get along just fine.

Jischke’s precious National Merit Scholars will still be as smart as ever, and make this university look better than it deserves to look, with or without our own building.

The only reason such scholars are here at Iowa State is because we had money thrown at us; Jischke wanted only to make himself and the university look better, substituting quantity of smart people for the quality of their experience here.

We will be fine, and graduate and get good jobs.

But in the meantime word of mouth will get out about how the Board of Regents honored a former president by naming a shapeless, substanceless hull of a structure after him. People will ask, “Couldn’t he have gotten something better? What point are they trying to send?” Shelves will gather dust, doors will creak, and the wind will howl as tumbleweeds roll by, and everyone will, ironically, finally see a symbol of what Jischke wanted for this university.

He wanted something that looked fantastic on the outside, that was a money machine and chucked out technological advancements faster than you can say “Atanasoff-Berry Computer,” but that, once you saw what was really there, let you down in almost every aspect of life that matters to those who make up the core of the university.

We’re talking about things like library periodical subscriptions, campus renovations, free speech and the security of faculty and staff positions. All these issues are things that have been addressed more rapidly and thoroughly by President Geoffroy in less than one year than by President Jischke in his entire term. That should be proof enough that the honor is not deserved.

Therefore, I ask you, students and faculty, to consider this proposal. Strike the new Honors Building. I know I won’t be using it. It may take strength, and it won’t make you any more friends within the administration. But it will be the only way that you can express your feelings about what is going on here.

Dan Heck

Senior

Computer science