Iowa State Daily Editorial Board: Troy McCullough, Tim Davis, Jennifer Holland, Kathleen Carlson and Jenny Hykes.

The continuing controversy surrounding Carrie Chapman Catt and the hall named after her has taken a new and interesting twist.

Blue Maas, an Iowa State secretary, and Phyllis Harris, a graduate student in human development and family studies, have bricks in honor of Maas and Harris’ mother, respectively, in the Plaza of Heroines.

Both aren’t so sure their bricks are much of an honor anymore. The two women have been covering their bricks with black cloth to protest the alleged racist statements Catt made, and the university’s treatment of the issue.

“I don’t feel (the brick) is an honor any longer. It’s been disrespected by Catt’s comments and the reaction of the university,” Harris said.

Both women have said they would keep covering their bricks until the name of the building is changed. If the name of Catt Hall is not changed, they’d like their bricks back.

Unfortunately, both times the bricks have been covered, the cloth has been removed. Anonymously.

Maybe it was the wind. Maybe someone accidentally kicked the cloth off, not aware of its important political significance. But if the removal of the cloth is intentional, it should stop.

Regardless of your stance on the Catt Hall issue, there must be respectful and intelligent discourse on the subject. Even if we do not all agree on a resolution to this problem, we must respect those who believe differently from ourselves.

The intentional removal of the covers on these bricks is not merely a support of the Catt Hall name, it is the denial of free expression to those who do not feel the same. We can disagree and debate, but in the end we must let everyone express how they feel. We are all more than entitled to that right of free speech and expression.

This new dimension to the Catt issue does raise a point that perhaps the university does not want to face up to: This issue will not go away.

If the name is to remain on the building, give these people their bricks back. They can’t be expected or forced to symbolically support something or someone they feel is no longer an honor for them.