Two students are organizing a protest today to show opposition to what they deem as a lack of student control over the Veishea celebration.

Brandon Riley, junior in psychology, and Robert Deisz, junior in biochemistry, are the students staging the protest.

It will be held from noon to 3 p.m. on the free-speech grounds between Beardshear Hall and The Hub. In case of inclement weather, the protest will be rescheduled for next Wednesday.

Veishea, which has been called the “largest student-run festival in the nation,” has not been controlled by the students for the past two years, Riley and Deisz said.

“What we want to do is raise awareness with the administration and the student government that there are people that feel what’s going on isn’t right,” Deisz said.

Riley said they want the protest to be peaceful, with no profanity, marching or rioting.

“The [March 25] riot was opposite of what we want,” Riley said.

Neither Riley nor Deisz participated in that incident.

“I really don’t have any feelings towards the last riot, except the destruction of property was bad,” Deisz said. “The protest won’t be anything like that. It will be a little more organized and hopefully not grow so much criticism.”

Riley and Deisz are planning on placing little emphasis on the alcohol-free aspect of Veishea during their protest.

“The main point is the loss of student control, not alcohol,” Deisz said.

Riley said alcohol became a “scapegoat” after the 1997 murder of Harold “Uri” Sellers.

He said he disagrees with the administration’s decision to ban alcohol totally from the celebration.

“The classy thing to do would have been to ask students not to go overboard and have respect for what happened,” he said. “Students should convince students about Veishea being alcohol free.”

Riley said he hopes the protest will have a good turnout.

“Originally, it was just going to be me and Rob with a petition,” he said. “It’s snowballed, though; people have heard about it — even the Veishea co-chairs are going to be there.”

Members of the Veishea Central Committee are expected to attend the protest to voice their side of the issue.

Deisz stressed that the protest is in response to the current operations of Veishea, not the celebration itself.

“It’s important to know we don’t want Veishea to end,” he said.