Veishea, a cherished tradition among many ISU students and alumni, has taken on quite a different meaning for many students today than what it originally was.

While many loyalists still attend the many campus-wide formal celebrations, many people from both in and out of town have wound up with alcohol violations in the past few years. 

“Unfortunately, through the years, some have viewed it as a destination party location and come here for reasons not affiliated with the formal Veishea,” said Jerry Stewart, director of the ISU Department of Public Safety.

According to Department of Public Safety statistics, 73 percent of people charged in an alcohol-related offense during Veishea 2012 were not ISU students.

“Veishea itself, the term by some, has come to mean a party,” Stewart said. “So we want to work with students, Veishea leaders and other students, to take back ownership of that and say, ‘This is about Iowa State, its celebration of academic accomplishments, recruitment and our community.’ Don’t hijack this festival if your intent is to come here simply to party.”

Since 2006, Iowa State’s Department of Public Safety has created a spring safety campaign which prepares for Veishea celebrations and encourages positive campus-friendly activities, said Elliott Florer, police lieutenant with the DPS.

“Nobody took over Veishea; it’s the unintended party side. There’s a university celebration going on, but a lot of people think: ‘This is a prime opportunity for me to have a party,’” Florer said.

Florer and Stewart have been dealing with the frustration of trying to dissociate the term Veishea as a week-long excuse to party from what it actually stands for: Veterinary Medicine, Engineering, Industrial Science, Home Economics and Agriculture.

“We don’t want outsiders, who have no understanding or appreciation of the organizational work that students have performed, to come in and largely ‘hijack’ or ‘glomp on to’ this particular weekend, to party off campus in a way that has nothing to do with what this celebration is about,” Stewart said.

Stewart says that while Ames has been having alcohol-related problems during Veishea week and weekend, the occurrences almost always happen off campus and not during the actual on-campus celebrations. Part of the reason for this is because there is no alcohol allowed on campus during Veishea events as a part of the ISU alcohol policy.

While they struggle to dissociate the word Veishea as a tagline for partying, the DPS also understands the need for increased safety measures during the celebration.

“Taking care of your friends; if someone’s had enough to drink, it’s OK to call the police, because we’re interested in helping that person and not getting them in trouble,” Florer said.

Florer wants to stress that if students see something that does not seem right, call the police.

“If you see something that’s not right or that you’re concerned about, if you want to intervene that’s up to you, but if you don’t feel comfortable that’s our job, and we’re here 24 hours a day to do that,” Florer said. 

The DPS just completed its latest training camp in preparation for Veishea, which occurs April 15–21, within the last few weeks.

Stewart wants students to understand the opportunities and benefits that Veishea can provide for a resume, and encourages everyone to get involved.

“Veishea is a phenomenal growing opportunity for students who choose to become involved. [Student] participation and leadership on committees and working with staff to plan such a large event, it’s a great leadership opportunity,” Stewart said.

The 2013 Veishea executive board members, who were instated at the end of October, are now in essential planning mode. General co-chairs Hilary Morris and Rachel Owen will be making the rounds to off-campus party hot spots to speak to individuals about the benefits of on-campus celebrating in April.

“During Veishea week our main concentration is what’s going on on-campus and that’s what we love. It’s the celebration part of [Veishea] that we’re really passionate about,” said Owen, senior in global resource systems.

For Owen and Morris, the true meaning of Veishea is what makes the week special every year.

“Our main role in community outreach is to just promote the events that we have and getting the word out there for the plans we have to keep people on campus during Veishea,” said Morris, senior in agricultural business.

Owen and Morris hope that many of the new entertainment events this year will continue to bring back more traditional meaning to the word Veishea instead of drinking.

“I think we do our best every year to try and incorporate new events to draw in different people. Like last year one the new events we had was ‘Club Veishea,’ so we had a DJ out in one of the parking lots playing music to draw students in for a different form of entertainment than what we usually offer,” Morris said.

Stewart hopes that students will continue to engage in positive activities on and off campus this year.

“Veishea is one of Iowa State’s oldest and most beloved traditions, and we think it’s important that it’s marketed to everyone that it’s a celebration of the university by Iowa Staters for Iowa Staters,” Stewart said.