I am sure readers of the Iowa State Daily are well aware of the ongoing dispute with the University Trademark office. With twenty-one articles published this semester, this issue seems unavoidable. Especially when you are a member of the organization making the most noise about it.

Make no mistake, despite all of the coverage of Student Government waging a war against University administration, there are still some of us who wish to see these bridges survive the year.

Many involved have painted this as two sides in perpetual disagreement with no resolution in sight. To me, it is too simplistic to frame controversies such as this as ‘us’ versus ‘them’ fights. We are all Cyclones. How could the one side possibly want to work with another group constantly demonizing them?

With the heart of the Iowa State community at stake, perhaps we all should keep community in mind? The constitution of Student Government references the university community nine times. To me, a critical element of maintaining any community, one also outlined in the University’s Principles of Community, is cooperation. This means working together to solve University-wide issues. Ashes of the burning bridges from this issue are going to weaken future negotiating power of student organizations if administrators anticipate the first step to be the most extreme. I am talking about the apparent conclusion to rally student organizations to intentionally violate Trademark policy en masse and file lawsuits if they are met with resistance.

Another Principle of Community is Respect. This is, perhaps, the most critical principle at stake in this dispute. We as student leaders of all campus organizations are called to be role models as well as representatives. We should exemplify the principles and avoid harming our relationship with the University. Relationships that have taken years to build.

With more parties watching than we realize, do we want to be known as a student body at odds with the administrators there to support us? There to support everyone at the university. Do we want to show onlookers that we will bypass the high road in favor of more incendiary means?

In the struggle over the lifeblood of the University and the makeup of the Cyclone identity, I hope maintaining positive relationships with every administrator can be a part of it.