Iowa State’s 77-year-old celebration is yet another step closer to continuing this spring, as the Panhellenic Council voted unanimously Thursday evening to reaffirm the Veishea pledge.

There was virtually no discussion during the meeting about an alcohol-free Veishea celebration, with all 15 chapters, each having two representatives, agreeing to take the pledge.

Laura Cripple, president of the council, said the decision to reaffirm the pledge did not astound the members. “I wasn’t surprised by the decision,” she said. “There was no discussion about it last week [when it was announced].”

Becky Soderholm, communications director for Panhellenic Executive Council, said she also assumed that the pledge would pass.

“We need to support Veishea. We want it dry rather than not having it at all,” Soderholm said.

Ever since Veishea officially became an alcohol-free celebration in 1997, all five major student organizations — the Government of the Student Body, the Graduate Student Senate, the Inter-Residence Hall Association, and the Panhellenic and Interfraternity councils — have been asked to take the pledge.

So far this semester, GSB, IFC and now Panhel have taken the pledge. IRHA was scheduled to discuss Veishea at its Thursday night meeting, but President Dave Sims said the organization would not vote on the pledge until it had heard from ISU President Martin Jischke.

Kristin Lewis, member of Kappa Alpha Theta, 2239 Knapp Ave., said that her house members had no extensive discussion about the dry Veishea pledge.

“We want to keep the tradition that ISU has had for so long,” she said. “We are prepared to support Veishea. It has been like this for two years in a row; we accept it and are happy.”

Cripple agreed that keeping the celebration going was important to the council.

“We want to support every effort to keep Veishea alive,” she said.