Mayor Ted Tedesco, GSB President Sophia Magill and I sincerely thank the members of the Veishea task force and the Commission on Improving Relations Among ISU Students, the University, the City of Ames and the Ames Community for their hard work in helping address community relations issues and the difficult and complex challenges associated with Veishea. We have been carefully reviewing the recommendations and advice in the reports, and we will shortly begin communicating and implementing a number of follow-up actions. Later this semester I will announce a decision about the future of Veishea.

We also are studying the commission’s report to determine how best to achieve the “one community” vision that is so well articulated in that report. As “one community,” we are composed of different groups, described by the commission as “short-term neighbors” (students) and “long-term neighbors” (permanent residents), and it is important that we work continuously to understand the needs and differences of all members of our community and respond constructively to issues that arise. The commission’s report contains many excellent recommendations that Mayor Tedesco, GSB President Magill and I strongly support, including the concept of an “annual summit” to discuss community issues, tensions and opportunities.

There is no question that the official Veishea, although changed over its long history, is a valued tradition that has contributed significantly to Iowa State and to the Ames community. But while traditions are important to all of us, far more important is our reputation and integrity as a leading public university and a safe community. Riots like those that occurred last spring detract from our students’ many positive contributions to the university and the community and greatly damage the reputation of the university and the city. Damage to the university’s reputation ultimately harms all ISU students and alumni by diminishing the value of their degrees, and we cannot allow that to happen.

Though I have not yet made a decision about the future of Veishea, it is clear that important changes must occur if we are to continue to have a spring festival. Most importantly, we need to be confident that ISU students and all other stakeholders truly want to see the celebration continue as a positive activity and will commit to working together to develop and institute a plan for its success, one that includes responsible behavior by all involved.

Regardless of the future of Veishea, the city and university must continue to work together to improve the response to activities that can develop into large-scale disturbances. We must also change the environment in which those activities exist by providing more varied and positive activities for student involvement. And we must ensure that laws, policies, and expectations are widely communicated and that the individual consequences of violating those laws and policies are clearly understood by all.

Ames and Iowa State have a truly wonderful relationship, and because of that, we live in one of the best communities in the nation.

Everyone contributes to this success, and the “long-term” neighbors know this would not be such a great community without the “short-term” neighbors who come here each year to live, learn and grow, and who provide the economic foundation of our community. As long as we communicate effectively and continue to recognize our value and importance to each other, we can successfully address challenging issues and make this university community an even more wonderful place to live and learn.

Gregory L. Geoffroy

President

Iowa State University