If members of the Inter-Residence Hall Association really want to accomplish something on campus, first they need to stop the political posturing.

IRHA President Paul Duncan and Towers Residence Association President Jonathon Weaver are attempting to collect 2,000 student signatures that may affect the fate of Veishea. If they are successful, students will vote on whether the Government of the Student Body should fund Veishea.

Normally, such an act, if accurately reflecting student opinion, would be praiseworthy. But this is neither the time or the place.

“It’s our duty as student leaders to remain in touch with the views and opinions of our constituents. We feel this is the most effective way to do this,” Duncan said Monday night as he presented the idea at a GSB executive council meeting.

However, Duncan and Weaver said they are not collecting the signatures as part of their IRHA duties. If this is true, they should not have presented their idea at a meeting where they were representing IRHA. Nor should they use their positions as a way to present their proposal to the ISU community and Interim President Richard Seagrave.

Seagrave has not yet decided if student governments will have to sign a Veishea pledge declaring Veishea weekend to be alcohol-free. Seagrave is willing to meet with the students and, hopefully, compromise – why not wait and see what the outcome is before taking measures that may hurt more than help?

If anyone should handle GSB’s funding, it should be GSB. If students strongly feel they do not want GSB to fund Veishea, surely they will let them know. It is then GSB’s duty to act in the students’ interests. By encroaching on GSB’s duties, IRHA is only undermining any progress that might be made.

Bide your time, Duncan and Weaver. There’s more to life than the sound of your own voices.Editorial Board: Carrie Tett, Greg Jerrett, Katie Goldsmith, Amie Van Overmeer, Andrea Hauser and Jocelyn Marcus