Students for a Free Tibet, a nationwide organization with an Ames chapter, requested that Iowa State athletic department officials stop using the services of Holiday Inn for traveling teams.

The organization has been seeking support for a boycott against the hotel chain because of its role in the Chinese occupation of Tibet, which has brought about human rights violations. The Holiday Inn in Llasa, Tibet, gives a large share of its revenue to the Chinese government.

Athletic officials denied the organization’s request.

Gene Smith, ISU athletic director, and Barb Hoak, assistant to Smith, said they didn’t have the authority to participate in the boycott and would not comment on behalf of the athletic department, respectively.

They had nothing further to say.

Athletic officials may not have any authority or information, but they ought, at least, to have notified organization members of where or to whom they should turn for answers.

Turning your back on a student request without providing any sort of guidance is wrong at an institution of supposed higher learning.

Denying a request without giving the organization some direction is another way for officials to separate themselves from students, instead of working with them.

Athletic officials ought to look carefully into all requests from student organizations and seek information about where to direct the students if they do not have any say in the matter.

Besides, turning your back on an issue never gets anyone anywhere.