The risk management committee, which oversees both the Party Response and Peer Security Teams, will be helping students “stay out of trouble” during Veishea ’99.

“Both teams work to inform students of laws and city ordinances and also how to celebrate safely,” said Dave Wendt, risk management committee co-chairman. “We’re just there to help the students do the safe thing before police intervention.”

Wendt, junior in agricultural education, said the committee was formed by the Veishea ’98 executive co-chairs in preparation for last year’s first alcohol-free celebration.

The teams have been in place since 1995, but they previously were part of the entertainment committee.

Chris Madsen, Peer Security Team co-chairman, said the team members are there to help events run smoothly. Their main objective is to let students know if they are doing something unsafe, he said.

“The Peer Security Team is really just students helping students stay out of trouble,” said Madsen, junior in agricultural systems technology.

Sgt. Randy Kessel with the Ames Police Department said during three crisis intervention training sessions, the police department’s special operations unit instructed volunteers “just to politely remind students of the laws and rules.”

“We don’t want them to try to apprehend anyone, take away their alcohol or break up a fight,” he said. “They have a good success rate. The students usually listen to someone in their own age group.”

Madsen said 80 volunteer team members will be rotating shifts during Veishea.

There will be pairs of team members on Welch Avenue both Friday and Saturday nights. Veishea Center Stage and Dew the Rec also will be well-equipped with team members on hand to aid security.

The goal of the Party Response Team is to help keep off-campus parties under control, said Matt Cook, Party Response Team co-chairman.

The team learns of disruptive off-campus parties by noticing them on their own, from calls to the Veishea hotline or from Ames Police or the Department of Public Safety.

“If we get information on a large party brewing, we’ll give them a chance to take care of it,” Kessel said. “If there’s too much alcohol involved, they might hit a brick wall, but the students are usually very receptive to the team.”

Cook, junior in agricultural studies, said the 20-member Party Response Team travels in groups of two and in three-hour shifts. It virtually covers all of Ames, but it will not be going to residence halls.

“Team members have more awareness of city ordinances than other students might,” Wendt said.

He said, for instance, most students do not know it is illegal to have a couch on their front lawn in Ames. If team members see something like this, they will let the hosts know it is a violation.

“They don’t have to listen to us; we’re just here to let them know what they could get in trouble for,” Wendt said.

Cook said he hopes students realize that the teams are there to help.

“We’d like every incident to be settled with us, so hopefully, it doesn’t have to go any further,” he said.

Kessel said the caliber of the teams is impressive.

“We really appreciate their help,” he said. “The volunteers are the cream of the crop that want to see Veishea continue.”