I am responding to the article I read in [Monday’s] paper about the alcohol forum. I normally don’t do things like this, but I think I should say something on behalf of the students on campus.

The article mentioned that a student asked about making the residence halls dry, and the person on the panel said if the students want a dry residence hall, then their support would be needed. What a crock! Students don’t want residence halls dry, fraternities dry, Veishea dry or anything else for that matter. The problem is real students don’t discuss it!

I graduated from ISU this last summer and I can safely say I know very little more than when I started. American schools are laughed at by the rest of the world for not teaching anything until grad school, and they’re right for doing so. I don’t care that I didn’t get much from my classwork, but that is a different discussion altogether.

But at least I can say I learned a lot from the reality of being here. I met real students, real faculty, real friends and I did it in a real world … one with plenty of pharmaceuticals to go around. I didn’t “do” most things, but I got to learn from the people who did in a way that I can say has been helpful. I became more accepting of people for what they did and I didn’t get involved like an anal, YY freak!

“Do this! Be this way! Don’t do this, it’s wrong!” I generally laugh at the diversity headlines we see all the time because I see the irony involved, but allow me to illustrate.

We (the university) want diversity because we want more accepting people — the kinds of students who are accepting don’t try and change every damn thing.

The students who are the ones I’d just as soon punt are the ones with all the damn headlines.

I just thought that for once a student who enjoys going to the bar with his professors, discussing philosophy and trying to figure out how to make a better world (not necessarily one with more research-grant funding) should say something.

So here it is, “Please leave my school alone. It doesn’t like people messing with it, and neither do I.”

Jonathan Kramer

Graduate student

Family resource management