It can be said that Iowa State is rooted in tradition. From the campanile to Veishea to our educational history, what was set by our forefathers is alive and well today.

Many have said that college students are in the “Generation X” age bracket and therefore have the same mentality. But this is far from the truth.

We volunteer more hours of our time than any other age group. Our outlook is grounded in reality while our dreams continue to take us into the future.

We are establishing our own traditions that our children will soon recognize and follow.

Take, for example, the tradition in Spain that includes throwing goats from a church tower.

People below would catch the goat and then parade it through the streets in honor of a patron saint. While many have criticized this act as abusive or endangering to animals, the tradition has yet to die while goats land in safety.

It seems that people everywhere are critical of one’s acts or traditions as they are here in the US.

Iowa State is no different.

We need to continue to establish tradition here — no matter how crazy it may seem or how much criticism is received. Iowa is not known for its goats, but it can be.

Goats tossed from the “traditional” campanile can put Iowa State on the map. The student body should not be adverse to change as it enters the next century.

The mayor of the town in Spain said, “We do this because the goat suffers less and spends less time in the air. This is not a pig. It is a goat, with the agility of a goat. It is an animal that jumps great distances in its environment.”

Let’s take our own jump, or leap, into the future. Let’s use goats for our tossing pleasure.

It can be goats and goats only, however. Faculty members cannot be substituted for goats.