Watching the intense debates between the administration and the students the past few weeks and months, I could not help but make the following observation.

The escalation of the present debate is partly due to the insistence of The September 29th Movement on a moderator during a meeting with President Martin Jischke and his reluctance to accept the presence of a moderator.

However, President Jischke relied upon the moderation by Dean Beverly Crabtree during the forum held on Dec. 4, 1996 to discuss Strategies for Change at ISU: A Forum on Diversity. Again, he used the moderation of Professor James Cornette during the forum held on Jan. 31, 1997 to discuss the Campus Climate for Diversity.

This appears to me as a contradiction of sorts and probably there is a contorted reasoning behind this, just as an antiquated student handbook published by the Dean of Students Office used to try the students in the recent judicial proceedings held by OJA.

Although, the result of moderated debates between the President and the movement would be a matter of speculation, the reliance of the administration on moderation during these past forums held by the university validates its need during a discussion, especially when one party finds it necessary.

Kumar Yellamanchili

Graduate Student

Department of Materials Science and Engineering