There’s something to be said for tradition.

It helps define us and gives us a sense of community and identity.

And as a campus and a university, Iowa State is rich with it.

Walking through central campus on a beautiful August day can make the heart of any true Iowa Stater swell with pride.

Have you ever seen the eyes of an alum mist over when the band plays “Bells of Iowa State” after a basketball game?

Would a victory over the Hawkeyes really be complete without a trip to Lake Laverne with goalposts in tow?

What freshman hasn’t had the “Fear of the Zodiac” instilled in his heart by the end of his first semester?

What would Homecoming be without Campaniling?

What would Veishea be without cherry pies?

And what would Lake Laverne be without trumpeter swans Lancelot and Elaine?

Well, for one thing, it would be safer for the pedestrians strolling by.

Tradition is a beautiful thing, but only when it’s not attacking passersby and chasing people down the sidewalk.

Not to mention that nobody really wants to see tradition wandering into the street and being squished under the tires of a UPS truck.

To keep the swans from roaming and to avoid intermittent incidents of melee and assault in the area surrounding their home, the “solution” was adopted of enclosing Lancelot and Elaine in a small corner of the lake.

It seems an inconsistent tribute to their legacy: “Hey, thanks for being a poignant symbol for the heritage of our institute of higher learning! Here’s a small wire cage. Make yourself at home.”

If Iowa State holds the dignity of its swans in such high esteem, let’s respect them enough to not confine them.

Now, another solution has been adopted.

One that seems considerably more sensible and vastly more humane.

The trumpeter swans are being replaced with mute swans that are quieter, gentler and a little less imbued with wanderlust.

The substitution makes sidewalks safer for pedestrians and makes for much happier, better-adjusted emblems of our university.

And for those concerned with the upholding of tradition, fear not. From 1935 until 1995, it was mute swans that swam in Lake Laverne and waddled along its grassy beaches.

By replacing the trumpeter swans with kinder, gentler mute swans, tradition isn’t being discounted, it’s being modified to suit the best interests of everyone at ISU — including the swans.