In the last couple of days, the Iowa State Daily and Andrea Hauser in particular, has brought upon itself a great deal of controversy. But, really, this is nothing new. Every couple of years somebody comes through the ranks and makes a statement or takes an action that really tends to piss a lot of people off. When I went to Iowa State, it was a man by the name of David G. Mosby that often caused the most controversy. In talking with other alumni from other points in time, they had their writers and editors that would do the same. We remember these people because whether we agreed with them or not, they made us stop and think. Now it is Ms. Hauser’s turn to cause a stir.

The Iowa State Daily is a learning environment, and not just for the writers, but the readers as well. It is a classroom outside of the classroom. It forces people to think, discuss, disagree and grow. Take note, this is something that is easy to forget how to do once you have left the college campus behind. For those of you that disagree with Ms. Hauser’s actions, speak up. For those of you that find sense in what she decided to do, you had better speak up too. Just don’t speak so loud that you can no longer hear the other side.

In regards to the controversy at hand, and the termination of three editors not because they appeared in Toons, but because of the words that they used, I do hope that Ms. Hauser will consider one thing. “Words will carry their own weight, but communication balances them out.” The words that the three editors used in Toons did say one thing, but the method of communication, the fact that it appeared in Toons and the overall advertisement, did balance out to a completely different message.

Brian J Mayer

ISU Alumnus

Des Moines