As a society, we face trials and adversity every day. Some of those problems are obviously greater than others, but one of the best parts about this society is we often rally behind these troubling times.

On Oct. 4, athletic director Jamie Pollard came out in a post-game news conference and expressed his concerns with the officiating in multiple games where Iowa State was “at the short end” of a couple calls. He stood up for the coaches and players and showed courage by ignoring the reprimands that were inevitable.

In those plays, not only momentum but some games were lost and sparked controversy time and time again. In 2013, ISU head coach Paul Rhoads stood up for Jeremiah George after a play during the Texas game where a call was not overturned, despite George stripped the football and the defense made a goal-line stand. A year later, Pollard stood up for his team.

So that brings us to Oct. 3. Fans from the Cyclone Fanatic website’s forums started to raise money to help pay for Pollard’s $25,000 fine he received from the Big 12. The fans quickly turned that negative situation into a positive one.

A group of Cyclone fans and Pollard supporters from CycloneFanatic.com paired with Blank Children’s Hospital — the charity of Pollard’s choice — to raise the $25,000 for the hospital. So far, the donations have taken off. The site opened on Oct. 9, and in the first 24 hours has raised nearly $5,000.

Many members of the ISU community are backing Pollard and showing support for the Iowa State athletic department. Standing up to the referees of the Big 12 was a bold move by Pollard, but one that he felt needed to be done in order to get the point across that Iowa State is not going to continue to be treated unfairly in games.

But let’s not stop with just these events where we take unfortunate situations and turn them into good.

There are multiple opportunities on campus to take initiative on something that you find yourself disagreeing with. Raising money for Blank Children’s Hospital is not only for the great cause of helping heal children, but also raising awareness for Pollard’s stand against the Big 12. This is just one instance where we, as an ISU community, have the capabilities of making positive changes when we feel they are needed.

Iowa State fans saw a problem and immediately proposed a solution and one that is charitable and direct. We should find more instances of campus where rather than folly during a situation, we rise to the occasion and propose a solution to the problem.

Use this as an example of the good you can do on campus. Whether that’s coming up with an alternative way to celebrate Veishea or finding other ways to support the decisions of our athletic department and officials at the university. Iowa State provides us with countless chances to do good; let’s start capitalizing on those opportunities.