Students of Iowa State, put down your cherry pies. Veishea has some competition. In 11 days, ISU students, alumni and faculty members will come together to celebrate Veishea for the 80th year in a row.

This Veishea will be like past celebrations with the student agricultural club displays, the parade, and Taste of Veishea.

But students at the University of Michigan are challenging Iowa State with their own student-run celebration. This celebration has a focus on students, families and weekend fun, just like Veishea.

The celebration is Hash Bash. Last weekend, Michigan students celebrated the 31st year of Hash Bash at Ann Arbor.

And even though Hash Bash seems to be in its infancy when compared to the long-standing traditions of Veishea, ISU students need to be examining this competition.

The activities at the pro-marijuana weekend celebration are just as diverse as Veishea.

Some of the activities included a vigil at the Ann Arbor Federal Building promoting the legalization of marijuana, a battle of the bands and six speakers talking about Michigan’s movement to give people the right to smoke up.

Students at Iowa State have a varietyof activities to choose from on April 19 and 20. The featured speaker is an Iowa State graduate who makes a lot of money. And Jay Mohr will be joking with and entertaining Cyclone fans.

Maybe this would be a place for joint discussion.

But after entertainment and speakers, the next concern that centers around spring celebrations on college campuses is always security.

The university administrations and Department of Public Safety officers want the students to have fun – but not too much fun. Too much fun was demonstrated by the ISU students who had to be tear-gassed after the Veishea riots of 1992.

That’s a little too much fun.

But burning of sofas, students tipping over cars and rioting in the streets hasn’t been a major problem at Hash Bash through the years.

In fact, there were fewer arrests last year in Ann Arbor than there were in Ames.

Michigan’s DPS arrested 26 people at the previous Hash Bash, but none of them were college students.

At last spring’s Veishea, DPS and Ames Police made a total of 98 arrests and citations during the “dry” weekend. But marijuana smokers do tend to be a little less active than drunk students.

So instead of promoting an alcohol-free spring celebration, maybe student organizers and university officials should promote a “light up and less violence” Veishea celebration.

At Ann Arbor, Monroe Street closes Friday evening, where a “Hookah Festival” is planned with vendors and entertainment. The event is free and open to the public. Sounds like Taste of Veishea.

And just like in Ames, local business owners appreciate the crowds the events bring.

And why wouldn’t they? What is better for business than college students smoking a joint and then needing to satisfy their munchies?

But unlike Veishea, the Hash Bash organizers give students directions on its Web site about how to act properly during the weekend.

During the hour of power, as it is referred to on the Hash Bash Web site, students are encouraged to “light up a fat one.”

Meanwhile, the Veishea Web site tells students, “Throughout its history, Iowa State University has pioneered programs that help strengthen family units and individual family members. It has provided educational opportunities for generations of families, and has provided an environment where students of the Iowa State family come together to support, encourage and strengthen one another. On behalf of all committees and co-chairs of Veishea 2002, we are proud to share with you the spirit of Iowa State University. Have a fun and safe Veishea!”

Which would you rather be a part of? I think the answer is an easy one.

Hash Bash is surpassing Veishea as the ultimate student-run celebration. And students need to change Veishea in order to compete with Michigan’s unofficial spring celebration.

Veishea needs to change from a family celebration of Iowa State to Hash Bash, a celebration worth showing up and lighting up for.

Michelle Kann is a senior in journalism and mass communication from Garnavillo. She is newsroom managing editor of the Daily.