On April 15, 2013, the Boston bombings shook the nation and brought all eyes to the New England city. It brought the Boston Marathon, a tradition dating back 116 years, into the light of vulnerability.

In Ames, 1,324 miles west of the attack, the gravity of the bombings were felt in full effect. With major events such as Veishea and ISU athletics, the question of security has become an increased topic of interest since the 2001 terrorist attacks of 9/11.

Tom Hill, ISU vice president of Student Affairs, said when it comes to Veishea and security measures for the annual tradition, the celebration can be its “own animal.”

“We will beef up security in those areas where we can, but given the nature of the celebration, it’s hard to beef up security all the way around,” Hill said. “You have private parties and people who hold events that are not official Veishea events, but nonetheless attract people.”

Hill said despite the wide variety of happenings that take place during the weekend of Veishea, security measures will be increased at the more popular events.

The Boston bombing is not the first terrorist attack to happen at an athletic event. As a member of the U.S. Olympic track and field team in 1972, Hill witnessed firsthand the aftermath of the Munich Massacre. 

“In Munich, there were some choices,” Hill said. “We could call off the games and go home. But if you call off the games, the individuals who orchestrated those events would have succeeded, in a big way.”

Despite the conversations of canceling the games, the Olympics went on. 

With the ISU spring football game on Saturday, April 20, the security staff has entertained the idea of increasing surveillance at athletic events.

Anthony Greiter, a community outreach officer for ISU police, said on a regular basis there are security measures taken into consideration for every athletic event.

“We’re constantly managing large crowds [and] really any situation posing a threat to our community,” Greiter said. “We’re constantly analyzing data where we see large crowds, so there’s going to be different staffing.”

Monitoring the bombings in Boston as well as examining post-9/11 statistics help campuses such as Iowa State’s to implement precautionary measures.

Greiter said since 9/11, and more recently the Boston bombings, security, alertness and awareness has risen among the public.

“In the post-9/11 mantra of New York, these are incidents that people are more aware of now,” Greiter said. “So I think people pay a little more attention now.”

The Boston bombings have caught the eyes of many world-class event leaders across the nation, in terms of emotion as well as the physical aspects dealing with security.

In a news release on Tuesday, Drake Relays Director Brian Brown gave a statement concerning the idea of increased security at the event. The Drake Relays hosts athletes from the high school to professional levels each year.

“If you start to map out all your protocols, you lose the very essence of the plan,” Brown said. “We’re good in terms of what we do. And one thing you should hear very strongly is we feel very secure with the plan we have in place.”

Brown said each year there is an emergency safety plan that the security staff is aware of for each and every situation. 

Despite the tragedies that have taken place in the past, Hill said there is always something to take away from sobering events such as the Boston bombings.

“We will learn from situations like the Boston Marathon, in regards on how to handle this,” Hill said. “We’ll look at these practices and make the necessary adjustments.”