The Veishea Task Force voted unanimously against keeping Veishea in its current form at its June 5 meeting.

The task force still has to decide how they want to change Veishea or if the university-wide celebration in the spring will continue at all before it submits its recommendation to President Leath.  

Tom Hill, chairman of the task force, asked each member to submit a minimum of one idea on what he or she thinks the task force recommendation should be. The different ideas will be discussed at the June 12 meeting.

Before the vote, the Veishea Task Force spent some time reviewing several major data points provided by the members.

Major data points included ISU Police Department data that showed consistently much larger numbers of arrests and incidents correlated to “non-official” scenarios compared to official events such as concerts.

Ames Police Department data showed similar points. Both ISU Police Chief Jerry Stewart and Ames Police Chief Chuck Cychosz agreeing that the “official” Veishea has not resulted in the multitude of arrests that the “unofficial” Veishea has.

“We’re seeing that Saturday afternoon dynamically be a little more challenging,” Cychosz said.

The task force also began its final reviews regarding options for the future of Veishea and the collective recommendations submitted by the public.

The group was presented two options: continue Veishea in its current form with minor tweaks and changes or discontinue Veishea in its current form.

The task force voted unanimously to discontinue Veishea in its current form. Discussion began on whether large scale revamps or a complete elimination would be recommended.

The vote gives the task force multiple options for altering Veishea. Under a complete revamp, the task force could recommend keeping the official Veishea event with a strong focus on the “true meaning” and an elimination of all evening activities.

The task force can also discontinue Veishea, which would result in the end of the name “Veishea” and a recommendation for one of the following:

a) The official events could be spread throughout the year. For example, cherry pies and the parade could be during homecoming and concerts could be near graduation.

b) A new “overarching university-wide event/showcase,” such as an ISU Fair, could be developed that could include a different timetable and list of activities.

c) Colleges and organizations could be allowed to put on their own events without a full university-sponsored umbrella like “Veishea.”

There was also some discussion about a plausible fourth option, resulting in a complete elimination and strong discouragement of a university-wide sponsored event on the scale of Veishea.

A “minority report” was suggested, with several group members asking if it would be appropriate to include with the final recommendation should the group fail to reach a consensus.

Discussion continued on whether Veishea still fits within the 1992 task force’s “Nine Traditions of Veishea” and whether the university as a whole benefits from such an event.

Hillary Kletscher, representative for Government of the Student Body, mentioned that there was a “resounding opinion” that Veishea was an experience for the whole of the student body.

“Iowa State really is about choosing your own adventure and having these opportunities,” Kletscher said. “And Veishea brings them all together.”

Next week, the task force will continue the discussion of Veishea’s meaning and whether it warrants a continuation or elimination of the celebration.

The task force will meet at least two more times before the final recommendation is due. All meetings are open to the public. For more information, visit viesheataskforce.iastate.edu or contact [email protected].