John Lennon once pleaded to the world to give peace a chance. Now that same cry is being heard across college campuses all over the United States. Recently, Mizzou had an extreme rise in racial hate, which culminated in the resignation of its university president. Within hours after the inciting incident, hashtags popped up all over social media, asking people to #StandWithMizzou.

This occurrence set off a domino effect across college campuses everywhere. Protests were happening anywhere that people would listen. Students on hunger strikes were calling for the resignation of everyone from university presidents to student senate members. Even Iowa State joined the action, and many multicultural organizations on campus banned together to show their support for the students of Mizzou.

Bigotry is no stranger to the students of Iowa State, be it racially-based, gender-based, or religiously-based hatred. One area that has long been a target of hate on campus is the area around Parks Library known as the free-speech zone.

Dedicated to the purpose of following the First Amendment and giving anybody the right to preach their cause, the free-speech zone has often been the target of anybody with a bone to pick and a verbal axe to wield.

While this zone can be used as a positive safe space for students and faculty alike, it has recently been used as an area in which religiously-based groups have come to spread their “wealth of knowledge” with ISU students. While not physically violent, many of these protests have been verbally demeaning to students of all race, creed, color, sexuality and gender. The important thing to know is that you don’t always have to fight fire with fire. Sometimes, it’s OK to fight fire with water and flowers. If you see any of this happening in the free-speech zone, there are so many ways to combat it without ever getting violent.

If you feel uncomfortable about anything happening, or anything being preached about in the free speech zone, do not feel compelled to react. It is completely okay to ignore whoever is speaking and just go on with your day. Nobody can fault you for not wanting to make a scene. If you do however feel the need to respond, be calm and rational about it. If somebody is talking about something you don’t agree with, just find a space where you can stand your ground and state your beliefs. That is a completely reasonable course of action and lets people know your feelings on the subject.

The most important thing to remember is not to let hate affect you. Just because somebody feels negatively towards you or something you believe in, that does not make you wrong. That only makes them intolerable. Never forget that the best way to respond to hate is with peace.