Although the annual Veishea celebration is distant on the calendar, the Government of the Student Body heard a resolution at its meeting Wednesday to reaffirm of the Veishea pledge.

The pledge, which calls for an alcohol-free Veishea week, was adopted for Veishea 1998 in response to the violence associated with alcohol during previous celebrations.

“There are two purposes to this resolution,” said Ben Golding, engineering. “One is to find out if everyone wants a dry Veishea. Our purpose is to represent how the students feel. This will get all the student leaders under one resolution.”

The second purpose of the resolution is to allow the Veishea 2000 Central Committee to begin preparations for the upcoming celebration.

“The earlier they can start, the more time they will have to plan,” Golding said. “I think it will make Veishea better.”

The intent of the resolution is for GSB members to consult their constituents to find out the opinion of the student body, Golding said.

“We can do this before we’re asked to,” he said. “It will be the decision by the students whether we will have a dry Veishea, not the administration’s.”

The chance for Veishea to retract back to a “wet” celebration is slim, said GSB President Matt Craft. “In speaking with [Iowa State] President [Martin] Jischke, he said there is no real possibility that Veishea could ever return to its prior state,” he said. “Either it is dry, or it won’t happen.”

The administration’s position on Veishea has sparked controversy on campus, which found its way into GSB.

“The condescending manner in which the administration delineated their ultimatum, dry Veishea or no Veishea, is asinine and totalitarian,” said Jonathon Weaver, TRA. “I think we should concentrate on education awareness to make Veishea safer, but not mandatory dry.”

He said students should take responsibility for their actions instead of being told what to do.

Other senators support the alcohol-free pledge, although they agree the administration’s approach is too harsh.

“Alcohol is a problem,” said Luke DeKoster, RCA. “Dry Veishea is a good solution. However, the administration’s tactics are demeaning.”

When GSB meets again next Wednesday, the senators will be armed with student opinions on which to base their decisions concerning the resolution.

In other business, GSB:

• Passed a bill removing Darrell Redman, nontraditional, from the senate due to four unexcused absences. “Every effort has been made to find him,” said Christopher Wisher, off campus.

• Passed a bill to establish a GSB logo to convey its image on the ISU campus. Students are invited to submit a design, and the winning designer will be awarded $200. “I have gotten good feedback about the logo,” said Michel Pogge, off campus. “This will help get a clear image out.”