There is certainly something slow about the pace of life in Ames. The population is small, there isn’t a lot of traffic, and occasionally you will overhear people debating which dormitory is the tallest building in town.

Add to that the easy-going mind set of Iowans, as well as their politeness (at least when compared to those from “real” cities like New York and Chicago), and you have the little, peaceful town that Ames is.

More disturbing than all of this, however, is how little critical thought can be found in Ames, most notably among the students and faculty.

A professor from the philosophy department recently told me something to the effect that he believes “There are just too many damn Republicans in this town.”

This is probably true, but I don’t think that in and of itself it can account for our deficiency. The problem doesn’t seem to be that people are too conservative or such, but rather that they tend to be too apathetic.

There is of course some connection between conservatism and apathy, as the former, by definition, tends to perceive things as being just fine the way they are.

But as far as students and faculty somehow being conservative in the way that Pat Buchanan is conservative, I would have to say that they simply lack the passion or conviction to view the world in such an extraordinary manner — whether this manner be extraordinarily insightful or extraordinarily insane is not relevant.

Students here seem to have little tolerance for any idea which isn’t so mainstream that it couldn’t be used as a caption under a Norman Rockwell painting.

This can easily be illustrated by comparing how we in Ames react to campus preachers compared with how those living in Iowa City react. Contrasted with the campus life here in Ames, that in Iowa City could have been taken from the pages of a Flannery O’Connor novel: grotesque characters, perverse religious convictions, strange happenings. Campus preachers, weather permitting, are just a fact of life in Iowa City.

There, students go to class, stop and listen to a preacher, get told that they are “on the highway to hell,” and then go home to do their homework. Here in Ames “Brother Jed” comes to town and all too many people act as if their world has gone to pieces.

Being subjected to a wide spectrum of ideas should be part of the education which students receive at the university, and in my opinion, it is this aspect which is most absent here at Iowa State.

No real learning can take place without cognitive dissonance, nor can a community be healthy which is comprised of members who are safely insulated from ideas which are deemed too radical or reactionary.

As you may or may not have noticed, The Drummer did not come out during November. This state of affairs may ultimately be traced back to the decision made by the GSB to give The Drummer about three thousand dollars less in funding than it requested and needed.

If this publication needs extra funds to pay a managing editor, which to my understanding is what the funding controversy boils down to, I strongly suggest that the GSB make sure this need is fulfilled.

As Mark Ingles has argued, the GSB does provide a stipend for a number of GSB positions, and there is no legitimate reason for them not to be willing to do so in regard that of managing editor for The Drummer.

For the past six years The Drummer has presented material from a progressive stand point. Whether progressivism makes valid claims or not is not the issue; that Ames needs to be saved from apathy is.

I am sure that most would agree with me that Ames is a wonderful place to live, and that life here is much preferable to the hustle and bustle of “real” cities.

All to often, however, there is a lack of tolerance for any ideas which are not as bland as oatmeal. We need to become more critical of ourselves, our community and our society.

The Molecular Biology Building should have art which calls science into question and there should be monthly editions of The Drummer.

I might be going out on a limb here, but it might even be good for us if Brother Jed came back more often.

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Tyler Wayne Roach is a senior in philosophy, English and religious studies.