Veishea will return to Iowa State in 2006 with a possible face-lift aimed at providing more entertainment for students.

Although longtime traditions, including the parade, will remain, there will be an effort made to have entertainment later into the night, which was suggested by students, said Jessica Lecy, Veishea co-chairwoman and senior in food science.

“Entertainment may look different,” Lecy said. “We are trying to get feedback as to what [students] want to see.”

One idea would be to have multiple stages set up with different styles of music at each, so people could find something more for their tastes, Lecy said.

She also said the focus on this year’s celebration will be on the success of Iowa State’s academic programs with a hope of making it more inclusive to students, staff, faculty and community members.

Sharon McGuire, interim dean of students, is in charge of advising the entertainment aspects of Veishea. McGuire had experience organizing entertainment aspects for a spring celebration at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.

McGuire said the traditions of the event are an important part of strong bonding experiences students and alumni can share.

“It’s important to have traditions and common experiences,” McGuire said.

She also said Veishea will not be “wet” this year, but will continue to follow reasonable policies that occur year-round.

Todd Holcomb, associate vice president of student affairs, is a member of the advisory committee to the Veishea co-chairpersons. Holcomb said a vast majority of students did not condone the 2004 Veishea riots, and it is important to get the events on track this year.

“It’s important to get the community involved and have students saying ‘we won’t tolerate risky behavior to endanger tradition,'” Holcomb said.

He said his experiences at the National Summit on Preventing Civil Disturbances in November helped him to realize Iowa State is not alone when it comes to celebratory disturbances. He said it’s important to make Veishea entertaining without letting a smaller number of people dictate such events.

While working at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, Holcomb said students once blocked off a major street after bars closed early for daylight savings time. To spin the incident in a positive light, an annual event began during which the street was blocked intentionally to hold an event similar to “battle of the bands.”

Eric Peterson, Veishea co-chairman and junior in agricultural business, said there will be more focus on the event this year, but it should be exciting as many freshmen and sophomores have not experienced the events.

“We should have a finalized schedule by late January or early February,” said Peterson. “The executive board members and committee members have been working hard.”

Both Peterson and Lecy have been involved with various aspects of Veishea in the past, and are looking forward to their roles as co-chairpersons for the celebration.

“This is a great celebration of Iowa State,” Peterson said. “There are not a lot of times when everyone can gather and show off what they are doing. It should be a great time.”