This year, local authorities won’t be enough to provide the necessary security for Veishea. Although specifics have not been finalized, Veishea will bring in an outside company to help the ISU and Ames Police with security.

Kyle Peterson, general co-chair of Veishea and junior in marketing, said each security outfit will have defined areas to cover. The company being considered for this year’s security has not covered Veishea in the past.

Some Veishea supporters and members of the ISU community believe preserving the event for another 86 years will force a change in the way security matters are handled.

“Our responsibility as students is to make sure that tradition is preserved for many more years to come,” said Megan Todd, general co-chair of Veishea and senior in marketing.

“Participating safely is so important [to] ensuring Veishea is around for 86 more years.”

Derek Hommer, security co-chair of Veishea and junior in agriculture studies, referred to past riots as a cause of Veishea’s changing image – an image that may endure well into the future.

“The students, the community and everyone have learned a little more that Veishea is a fragile thing, and it’s more than just what some people would call a party,” Hommer said. “Veishea – it’s a community, it’s a celebration of Iowa State.”

A number changes have been made to the entertainment since the Veishea riot of 2004.

Todd said providing people with late-night entertainment on campus, such as Live@Veishea and the late-night pancake feed, are just a couple of alterations. Todd said these events have helped keep people busy on campus.

Jerry Stewart, director of public safety, recommended a simple buddy system for keeping everyone safe at Veishea.

“Nothing could be more tragic than to have a car-pedestrian fatality, or intoxication-related death or something that could be so preventable by people looking after one another,” Stewart said. “That’s what we’re trying to avoid.”

Stewart also said there are many aspects of security handled by the ISU Police Department, such as float movement and blocking off roads He said security is a 24-hour operation that brings everyone involved additional hours of work.

While Veishea, at this point, is an alcohol-free event, beer cans and bottles that were thrown at last year’s Mike Jones concert led to controversy over the policy.

“Tell your roommate it’s not a tailgate,” Stewart said. “There seems to be confusion on what the alcohol policies are on Central Campus during Veishea, so it’s our job to try and communicate that in a way people can understand.”

Out of the many key messages that the co-chairs of Veishea and the director of public safety are trying to convey is that Veishea is meant to be a good time to share with other people.

“We’re not fun-haters. We’re not trying to discourage people from having a good time, we’re just here to make sure responsible decisions are made and we’re there to enhance safety,” Stewart said.