The three key players in deciding the future of Veishea — ISU President Gregory Geoffroy, Ames Mayor Ted Tedesco and Government of the Student Body President Sophia Magill — met Friday to begin discussing that future.

Reports from the 2004 Task Force on Assuring Successful Veishea and Other Student/Community Relations and the Commission on Improving Relations Among ISU Students, the University, the City of Ames and the Ames Community were completed Nov. 30. Recommendations from the task force and commission are being reviewed by Geoffroy, Tedesco and Magill. A decision about the future of Veishea is expected from Geoffroy next spring.

“It was a very positive meeting,” Tedesco said. “We feel that both commissions did an excellent job, and I think it laid the groundwork for us to now move forward with some of the recommendations.”

During the meeting, recommendations were divided based on the part of the community to which each recommendation pertains. Recommendations requiring student action were given to Magill, while others that deal with the university and the city were given to Geoffroy and Tedesco, respectively. Each person will take the assigned recommendations and examine what will be required to put them into motion.

“I think that both reports, from the task force and the commission … there’s a lot of good recommendations. I think there are a lot of good things in there to consider,” Geoffroy said in an interview before Friday’s meeting. “I think, first of all, it is important to have enhanced penalties for inappropriate behavior during riots and disturbances. Secondly, I do not believe enhanced penalties by themselves will prevent riots and disturbances and parties spinning out of control, et cetera. But, I think that enhanced penalties will deter some students from getting involved, and I know that has occurred at other institutions because it will cause some students to think twice before getting involved or even just becoming a bystander, in which they might get involved.”

Magill said a second meeting has not been scheduled, but they plan to keep in contact by phone and e-mail to keep updated on progress.

The task force’s 104-page report outlines four types of recommendations: general recommendations, recommendations if Veishea is changed, recommendations if Veishea is canceled and recommendations to seriously consider in either case.

The commission’s 11-page report discusses 13 recommendations to cultivate a healthy relationship between students and permanent residents of Ames, which Magill said is important for ISU students.

“We realize that the whole idea here is to create one community, which I think is very important,” Magill said.

“It’s going to take all of us to make a lot of these things happen, not just the three of us.”

One of Geoffroy’s concerns is the students’ involvement and their contribution in possible future Veishea events.

“Those are the kinds of topics I’m going to be thinking a lot about over the next few months,” Geoffroy said. “Do Iowa State students want to have a successful Veishea, and are Iowa State students willing to take the appropriate responsibility and partnership with the university and the Ames community for their responsible behavior to ensure a successful Veishea if one were to be held? That’s a big issue. I have a lot of confidence and faith in the students at Iowa State. But, ultimately, as we go forward, if our students really want to have a successful Veishea, that means they’re going to have to take shared responsibility for responsible behavior. The question is how to achieve that and how to work together.”

The task force and commission were formed in the wake of a riot in Campustown on April 18. In its report, the task force identified eight separate events since 1985 where students clashed with police, including this year’s 1,000-person riot, which resulted in 37 arrests and $100,000 in property damage. The recommendations of the task force and commission are hoped to help curb future disturbances.

— Tom Barton contributed to this article.