I would first like to give a great thanks for the mention of the Society of Chemistry Undergraduate Majors in Andy Tofilon’s column in the Daily’s Veishea special section. As a member of S.C.U.M., I am proud of the work that this club does.

In my three years here at Iowa State and Veishea, I must say that I am not at all enthralled with its activities.

There is the parade, there is the Stars Over Veishea annual play and little else in terms of activities that are not geared toward whole families and ignores my demographic: the collegiate crowd.

Agree with me or not, alcohol has been and always will be part of Veishea.

The extent of Martin Jischke’s reactions following the year of the unfortunate death was understandable at the time, but in retrospect, his reactions were definitely extreme.

Since then, some of the rules have been repealed or altered, but what remains is a celebration that’s lost the sprit of student involvement. Alcohol, with all its inherent evils, was a big deciding factor for many students to participate.

I’m not talking about the student organizers who poured their hearts and souls into the endeavor that lasts a few short days. They worked damn hard, and I was there to help in a small way. What I refer to is the spirit of the actual student body.

It seems every year, Veishea becomes tamer and tamer until the businesses pander to every demographic to be family-friendly.

Some, many and perhaps most of us don’t share that enthusiasm for family-friendly fun.

This is a college town and as it is, we should be allowed to dictate our own levels of irresponsibility.

Yes, we are children, but we are also emerging adults.

Give us these few years when we can be mindless idiots before stepping into the world of dry routine.

Where is the fun for us?

Where are the wild street riots and lewd behavior, the swearing, the fighting, the wild irresponsibility that emerges periodically in all of us?

Why can’t we have that as a group once more?

Matthew Campbell

Senior

Political Science