Think about some of the dumbest things you’ve done as an Iowa State student.

Did you grab the wrong notebook before you took off for class?

Or maybe you slept in during your 8 a.m. class or woke up for your 7:30 final at 7:30.

Then there were those times when you accidentally set your alarm for 6:30 p.m. instead of a.m.

These incidents, however dumb, seem fairly trivial.

But relationships aren’t trivial. Maybe you went out with that so-called special someone only later realize, “that person was such an idiot.”

Or was there a time you just couldn’t be around some people because you felt uncomfortable in their presence? Maybe you didn’t want to be near some people because you didn’t like their physical characteristics.

These aren’t trivial. We may not be aware of it all the time, but this has a great impact on whom we chose as our friends and whom we chose as our enemies.

Besides, most of us recall the good times we have fun with our friends, not the enemies.

Some fun is highlighted by those weekends of illegal drinking. Or maybe you were one of the unlucky who got charged with minor on the premises and had the honor of seeing your name in the police blotter.

A stupid mistake that now represents a mark on your clean record.

But maybe you are 21 or had the perfect fake ID. No need to worry then, right?

Go and have a good time drinking with your friends. After all, you have no fear of getting caught.

And after you’re done getting wasted, have some more fun. Of course, not all of your friends are going to be as drunk as you are. Maybe you were the only one who got drunk or maybe all of you consumed some amount of alcohol.

But at least you’re not intoxicated enough to be entirely incoherent.

Maybe it’s a pre-weekend ritual to get drunk on Thursday nights, but at 2 a.m. Friday you and your friends are walking at Clyde Williams Field and are approached by a student security guard who asks for identification.

You and your friends refuse and go about beating him up for the shear thrill of it.

Later you realize what a dumb thing that was to do. But you were so drunk, you didn’t know what you were doing at the time. After all, people do crazy things when they are drunk, don’t they?

Don’t fail to realize, though, that you weren’t drunk enough to not realize that it was a black person you and your friends assaulted and referred to as a “nigger” several times.

Not dumb, but very, very stupid and very, very racist.

You and your pals deserve more than your name in the police blotter for this. An expulsion would be great, but the university, DPS and the Ames Police Department may have other things in mind.

You may have other things in mind as well, like not mentioning a word of the attack to anyone.

If no one except those involved knows, you’ve done a pretty good job of keeping it a secret for about a week. But it has to make your heart race whenever you hear about it.

Maybe you are with a group of students that is talking about the assault. Only you are the only one not saying a word.

But let me assure you. When you are caught — and you will be caught — I hope justice will begin to be served for Deantrious Mitchell and the students of Iowa State.

You may not be sorry for what you did because you were drunk, just sorry you got caught.

By the way, Iowa State’s image has been tarnished because of this assault. It doesn’t take a Veishea riot to do that. And it will be tarnished for as long as people remember this and the media keep prying out information from police.

An incident such as this is an unfortunate part of reality at any university. Only this incident wasn’t fatal. It could have easily been, though.

But fatal or not, it doesn’t and shouldn’t diminish the damage that has already been done to Mitchell, to the students and to Iowa State.

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Shuva Rahim is a junior in journalism and mass communication from Davenport.