Overpopulation during Veishea bumps activity in Ames

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Photo: Andrew Clawson/Iowa State

The crowd at Bootytronic Club Veishea dance and wave glowsticks Saturday, April 21, at the Student Services parking lot across from Friley Hall. The free all ages show lasted from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m.

Tedi Mathis

Overpopulation during Veishea is evident in more ways than merely the number of people wandering around on campus. Water consumption in Ames and students coming in and out of the residence halls both see an increase.

Brittney Rutherford, from the department of residence, said they do not change their guest policy during Veishea and said Veishea may not even be addressed in their policy.

“With your roommates’ permission, guests can stay with you for no more than three days,” Rutherford said.

Rutherford even said they don’t see a spike in students getting into trouble in the residence halls during Veishea, which is “probably due to the fact that everyone is busy taking part in Veishea and just sleeping in our residence halls.”

This is something Allen Schwery, a third-year community adviser for Freeman Hall, has also seen. Schwery said he does not have to deal specifically with many problems within the residence halls during Veishea.

“I would say I noticed a lot more students, people bringing two to three guests, sometimes more than that,” Schwery said. “Otherwise, I didn’t really notice a lot of problems, most of the things kind of stay out of the residence halls.”

Residence halls aren’t the only area of Ames to see a bump in activity, however. The water consumed in the city per day sees a sizeable jump.

Lyle Hammes, the water plant superintendent in Ames, said that on an average day, six million gallons of water are consumed. “When the students are here versus when they are not, it makes about a 750 thousand gallons per day difference,” Hammes said.

During Veishea there is an even larger increase in water consumption according to the city of Ames records. “It looks like about a half million gallons more water per day with Veishea being here,” Hammes said.

Other resources in the city may also see a bump, but it is not as easily tracked and recorded.

“Gas, you are not going to see a ton of fluctuation like you will electric,” said Heather Homes from Alliant Energy. “It would be hard to pinpoint to see if there was a bump in the time that Veishea is.”

Even with Veishea looming and the population on campus increasing, the Department of Residence and community advisers are not making drastic changes.

“We kind of increase our duty and our rounds,” Schwery said. “But nothing really out of the ordinary as far as, like, calling in reinforcements.”