The Interfraternity Council joined the Government of the Student Body in taking the Veishea pledge Thursday night, becoming the second student organization to support an alcohol-free celebration.

After about 10 minutes of discussion, IFC passed a resolution supporting an alcohol-free Veishea with an 18-7-2 vote.

Chris Juhl, IFC adviser, spoke about the controversial matters surrounding a dry Veishea.

“There are some issues here that are really hard to see from a student’s standpoint,” said Juhl, graduate student in educational leadership and policy studies. “I mean, [Iowa State President Martin] Jischke has to make rules. If a president of a university or a Board of Regents decides that something is going to happen on a campus, it happens.”

However, there were counterpoints offered as to what the resolution means for students.

“To me, this all comes down to the fact that the university is not giving us a choice,” said Daniel Brower, president of Alpha Tau Omega, 2122 Lincoln Way. “By reaffirming this Veishea pledge, what we’re doing here is playing along by the university’s rules.”

Brower, senior in political science, expressed concern as to why some people believe Veishea has become better since it turned alcohol-free.

“It’s not fair that the university will do all this [additional security and entertainment during Veishea] for us only if we go dry. They weren’t willing to give us increased alcohol education if we stayed wet, and they weren’t willing to give us dry forms of entertainment like a really good concert if we stayed wet,” he said.

Brower said because of those issues, it is questionable whether the past two dry Veisheas have been successful.

“So, how can [we] correlate that being dry has helped Veishea, because you can also point to the fact that maybe getting a good concert here has helped Veishea, or getting a good comic has helped Veishea?” he asked.

However, Brower did not have much company in his views, as only six other fraternities decided to vote against the resolution: Alpha Kappa Lambda, Beta Theta Pi, Kappa Sigma, Sigma Chi, Theta Chi and Theta Xi.

Juhl added in his closing remarks that people should write to Jischke and the Veishea committee with any ideas that they may have for the celebration.

But in the meantime, Juhl said, “Veishea needs your help now. They need an affirmation that we’re in support of now.”

There are three student organization that have yet to vote on the Veishea pledge: the Panhellenic Council, the Inter-Residence Hall Association and the Graduate Student Senate.