Students are becoming more and more frustrated as Veishea committee co-chairs Megan Todd and Kyle Peterson continue to spout redundant rhetoric during each “new” interview and statement. Because of their place on the Veishea committee, they have borne the burden of consequence for the many people involved in the new policy decisions. Although it may seem unfair to beat a dead horse, those who represent decisions are responsible for answering the questions provoked by those decisions – which, at this moment, continue to puzzle those who oppose them.

The press has interviewed several Veishea committee members, who seemingly kept playing the same broken record and gave absolutely no insight into the decisions or signs of truly understanding the complaints, leading people to become more and more specific in their complaints as Veishea nears. People realize they’re going to have to spell it out for them to the point that a miscommunication of the question is impossible. Tuesday night, seniors Josh Hasty and Jason Paull, the administrators of the biggest anti-wristband and anti-restriction group on Facebook, met with Todd and Peterson once again to ask them to clarify previous statements.

What resulted was a farcical discussion with vague answers and no extrapolations. Although the committee has had recorded discrepancies in the answers coming from different members, they steadfastly recited the same information from the official statement on their Web site. When pushed to express something other than robotic memorization, they inevitably end up dismissing and insulting students.

Nobody can seem to make significant progress in prying an honest, human conversation out of these people, and they are adamant that the policy will not be changed, although they can’t even explain why that’s impossible.

The questions to follow are directly aimed at the entire Veishea committee, due to their inability to either conceptualize the issues that remain unexplained or a continued intent to brush the issues under the carpet for long enough that they are no longer chronologically relevant.

What is the reason for a policy change that includes required wristbands and limited attendance to what is, for many, the main event and last celebration of the weekend? The last two Veisheas without this policy seemed successful, so what could’ve provoked the concerns about security and crowd control?

Why is the sale of wristbands limited to 7,000? We understand that’s the magical number of people “controllable” at the new venue, but we’ve yet to get a reasonable explanation of why the venue was changed. Refer to question No. 1.

How do you figure numbers for previous concerts that neither were restricted nor sold tickets? We understand you collaborated with people who have experience doing this, but have you previously appointed people at said events to do this, or is it theoretical? Do you realize people move between concerts (you’ve said multiple wristbands would just be too difficult), and also that there are discrepancies of almost 4,000 people in official statements?

Why limit sales to those with current university IDs? You insult students and community members by dismissing their concerns about their friends and family – people who you don’t consider being part of your “Cyclone family” – by insinuating outside sources are the reasons for all possible conflict and incidents at public events.

What does alcohol have to do with anything? The dry campus policy has nothing to do with how many people you limit at a few events, and it has been speculated that a lack of entertainment and access will antagonize more unsanctioned gatherings where alcohol is prevalent. Why not just enforce the dry policy better instead of inefficiently targeting the concert attendees?

Although Todd maintains that concerts are not a valid tradition, students have a short lifespan at universities. The last three years have either lacked a Veishea altogether or provided free music – three years that are a majority of the time most students experience at college. And although she also maintains that this event should be perceived as an exclusive celebration for students, the voices of thousands of our precious, worthy-of-a-celebration students are simply being ignored – no matter what they try to say about Veishea planning being a student collaboration.

The people who pay to be here are clearly shouting from the rooftops – don’t you hear them, or is it that you’ve already ordered the paper bracelets and you can’t back out?

Many suggestions on how to protest the policy are available on Hasty and Paull’s Facebook group boards, along with reasonable suggestions to amend the new policies in manageable ways.

The real point of this conflict now is that the committee will continue to ignore students and refuse to provide logical evidence of a warranted change in policy. If you really feel this policy is unacceptable, ignore it. Civil disobedience is not just a chapter in a history book, and thousands of us will say so by refusing to subject ourselves to a pseudo-monarchical attitude.

Writer’s note: the Facebook group’s endorsed paper petition to end Veishea restrictions will circulate in the Free Speech Zone south of Parks Library during the week of March 24.

– Luci Van Scoy is a junior in anthropology from Newton.