Recently, I came across a flier in the Student Activities Center which appears to have been written by Cy himself. The flier contains information about the use of Iowa State logos, and reads: “Whenever my picture appears on a T-shirt or other product to be used by your organization … the picture must be approved by Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.”

Recent events indicate that text is missing from the flier. They forgot to put a footnote reading “unless we’re afraid of you.”

The Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan. has the ISU logo on their Web site, accompanied by the word “fags” (http://www.godhatesfags.com/iowastate.gif). The church is a blatantly anti-gay assemblage of family and in-laws of the Reverend Fred Phelps who protested in Ames last spring.

The university has decided not to take legal action against the group, despite having set a zero-tolerance precedent for trademark use. The members of Norman House wanted their house sign to include an armored version of Cy but were denied permission. The school seemed to say, “We don’t care if you want to use our logo for school spirit or to disparage us, we won’t let you.”

Such vigorous defense of ISU trademarks now seems more fairy tale than reality.

Why is the school allowing Fred Phelps’ congregation to use the logo, but not its own students? The answer is quite simple: Students are easy to threaten and order around, but the Westboro Baptist Church is not. The church has extremely skilled lawyers; taking them to court often results in more damage to the organization bringing the suit than to the church.

So we’re turning a blind eye to the misuse of our logo because we haven’t the nerve to stand up to this highly offensive group.

If it’s wrong to put Cy in armor and put him on a university building, then it’s wrong to let a group of bigots use the logo in a homophobic slur.

Clearly, though, it’s more important to the administration to preserve its own hide than to do what is right, which would mean taking legal action against the gay-bashers.

How noble.

Our school’s decision to carefully weigh the power of the transgressor rather than universally defend what we have trademarked makes you wonder what the campus would be like if such a policy were extended to other violations.

What if it had been a legion of Fred Phelps’ troops who had stormed the field after last year’s win against Baylor, rather than a ragtag bunch of drunken students? Would the various law enforcement agencies have reacted with the same degree of force, or would they have rested on their laurels having decided “it would not be worthwhile” to take action for fear of a lawsuit?

Or what if The September 29th Movement had a history of winning legal battles? Would the administration treat those members with the same disregard it does now? I suspect not.

I don’t think the administration has any interest in doing what is right; it simply acts in its own self-interest. I’ll bet you never thought “Becoming the Best” meant bullying the weak and running from the strong, did you?

Iowa State University is an institution of higher learning. It is a school which prides itself on preparing its students academically as well as in other facets of life.

So, what lessons are we supposed to take from the administration’s decision not to pursue legal action against the Westboro Baptist Church?

We are being taught to mistrust large organizations, that idealism has no place in higher education, that situational ethics are best in business.

We are learning from the administration that organizations founded upon bigotry and hatred deserve to get their way more than students showing their school pride.

Fred Phelps and co. have every right to use the logo, but so do the residents of Norman.

The university should either acknowledge its blatant inconsistency, issue a formal apology to the students of Norman and allow them to hang the Stormin’ Norman sign, or they should take legal action against the Westboro Baptist Church. Either it is OK to use the Iowa State logo or it isn’t.

How can I have pride in a school that hides its tail between its legs and runs the other way when confronted by antagonistic fearmongers?

More importantly, how can this administration expect the student body to have any respect for its authority when they act with so little honor?

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Ben Byrne is a senior in graphic design from Edina, Minn.