NORML ISU, the student chapter advocating for the reform of marijuana laws, has gained another victory in its battle for free speech against Iowa State.

The university requested a stay on NORML T-shirt production while it appeals a federal judge’s ruling, saying it violated the club’s First and 14th Amendment rights. NORML ISU is now free to produce its T-shirts, which it has 19 different designs for, according a press release from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, or FIRE, which represents NORML ISU.

The four-year fight between two NORML ISU members and university administrators came to a head in January when a judge ruled the university had violated the group’s First Amendment rights by not allowing NORML to print Iowa State’s logo on T-shirts with a marijuana leaf. The court said Iowa State could no longer enforce the trademark policy against NORML ISU in a discriminatory manner.

Iowa State chose to appeal the ruling in February when it requested the stay on the ruling and NORML ISU’s T-shirt production while the appeal process to the 8th Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals takes place. The court denied the stay last Thursday.

This case had been a long and complicated one for NORML ISU and the university. However, the students from NORML ISU have managed to string together back-to-back victories for ISU students and the state of the First Amendment on our campus.

These victories come at a time when students seem to be embracing the First Amendment on college campuses as much as ever. This year has seen student demonstrations on campuses such as Missouri and across the country — some ISU students even had a rally to show solidarity with students of color at Mizzou who demonstrated because they felt unsafe or disrespected.

Normal ISU’s original victory as well as this stay denial should serve as reminders that freedom of speech and an environment that promotes it are essential to college campuses. Colleges are unique in that they are often a very diverse community and have a collection of people of different places, backgrounds and ideas.

With so many perspectives and voices, it would be a shame if students were not encouraged to share their ideas and talk about important issues to better themselves and the world around them. Promoting this kind of free speech is especially important here at Iowa State, which has not necessarily always had a positive track record.

In addition to this First Amendment lawsuit, the university also had a “red light” rating from FIRE, the worst rating a university can get for its free-speech policies. It means the school “has at least one policy that both clearly and substantially restricts freedom of speech.”

Therefore, any win for NORML ISU lawsuit is a step in the right direction for all students at Iowa State. It’ll make our university a more inclusive and accepting place for students to share their ideas.