“Whiners,” “idiots” and “terrorists” … that’s us, The September 29th Movement. We’ve earned those titles and others by questioning lies, speaking out against injustice and by peaceably demonstrating against what we believe is an affront to our dignity and the dignity of all ISU students.

I am writing this letter to reach out (once again) to the ISU community and ask that you examine the facts and scrutinize the actions of the administration as well as those of The Movement before coming to any conclusions.

First, to address the issue of tactics: I believe our tactics are the tactics of reasonable people who are tired of being ignored and lied to by an administration claiming to be responsive to students. We have held peaceful rallies, a letter-writing campaign, educational programs and forums, civil disobedience and presentations to the Government of the Student Body and to the Graduate Student Senate.

In contrast, President Jischke and the administration have publicly attacked our scholarship while withholding their own, formally charged our members in an All University Judicial process with, among other things, boisterous expressions of free speech, and have continually refused to meet with us after our one and only meeting was abandoned by the mediator.

All this while Jischke has stated publicly, “I am always willing to meet with students about their concerns.”

I would also like to address the characterization of The Movement as rigid and uncompromising.

While the naming of Catt Hall is not our only issue, or even the most meaningful one, it is the most visible, the shining jewel in the crown of the ISU administration’s hypocrisy. On this issue, we have continuously stated that we seek a meaningful resolution.

While at first we requested the name of Catt Hall be changed, we have since asked only that the naming process itself be reopened, a reasonable request since we have ample evidence demonstrating that the original process was flawed and exclusive.

Beyond that, we have publicly accepted the ISU Daily’s invitation to a public hearing with the administration, and we have publicly supported the suggestion of the Ames Tribune to engage an objective historian to research both sides of the issue and to create a permanent exhibit of events surrounding this controversy.

All in all, we have weathered the toughest questions and gone out of our way to provide the ISU community with evidence to support our position (see the Parks library special reserves or check out our web page at http://www.public.iastate. edu/~nyne/september29/ to see this info).

We refuse to “get off our high horse and accept things the way they are.”

I, for one, have never believed that a public university in the United States of America is any place to blindly accept what you’re told. Instead, I think it is appropriate in this institution dedicated to the free exchange of ideas to question our administration’s actions.

I have many such questions:

Why won’t the administration divulge it’s scholarship on the Catt issue?

Why were the recommendations of Jischke’s Advisor on Diversity, Derrick Rollins, regarding the Catt Hall issue ignored?

In a time when our university has claimed an ever increasing commitment to diversity, why is ISU ninth out of 10 among our peer universities in our ability to retain and graduate African-American students?

Why didn’t President Jischke appoint an independent committee to investigate the naming process of Catt Hall?

Why won’t president Jischke meet with students?

---

Simon Huss

Graduate student

Materials science and engineering

Member, September 29 Movement