F inally one heated encounter ends in an intelligent dialogue.

The BG News would like to extend its thanks and its congratulations to the students involved in yesterday’s Union Oval protest.

In an article in today’s paper, reporter Dave Hererra explains the protest outside the Union as well as its positive outcome.

Like we see so rarely, what could have easily turned into a small riot, or at the very least an isolated assault, cooled to a calculated exchange of ideas among adults.

This is the sort of conflict resolution this campus and indeed the world needs to see more of.

These students when faced with what they saw as an invasion of their rights, first retaliated with signs, then confronted the offender, Henry Coates, with words.

The group managed to not only explain their concerns to Coates, but also listened to him as he explained his side of the issue.

We ask you, how many problems could be solved in this manner? How many times have encounters such as these ended in unneeded physical attacks? How many groups have resorted to name calling and screaming obscenities, sacrificing their message?

We would like all the students and faculty on campus to look on this incident as an example of the proper way to settle a debate.

These students have shown us how to live up to our claim as educated adults.

The next step is for us to recognize our part and continue to show we can be reasonable and fair in the face of diversity.