Many students assume that President Jischke has the right to “cancel VEISHEA” in response to political pressures from around the state.

Ironically, tragic murder victim Uri Sellers is a native of Monroe, Iowa in Marion County.

Monroe also happens to be the hometown of Iowa House minority leader David Schrader.

Not to say that the Statehouse is putting pressure on the administration to “clean up” VEISHEA, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to infer that widespread media coverage of ISU’s spring festival makes for sweaty palms at the Knoll.

The fact is, President Jischke may very well assert that he has every right to cancel the constitutionally guaranteed freedoms of students to assemble and associate freely.

But that is just not the case. Nor may he capriciously and selectively deny university recognition to student organizations or activities with which he disagrees.

Students comprising the VEISHEA leadership may very well give up those rights by agreeing to cancel the perennial celebration and, personally, I would not shed a tear.

But that is a decision they must make without administrative influence.

It should be noted that the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) has voted repeatedly to oppose the denial of student rights for political reasons as part of the Statement on Student Rights and Freedoms.

That is ironic because most ISU administrators are members of that professional association while they are, at the same, attempting to curtail those same student freedoms.

Over the years, VEISHEA has gained a reputation as a primarily Greek experience.

Although that stereotype is fading slightly, we cannot ignore the fact that VEISHEA will approach the exercise of its constitutional freedoms differently than say, the September 29th Movement.

In all likelihood, VEISHEA will attempt to appease the politically motivated demands of university administrators and heed warnings of “cancellation.”

But we have to ask ourselves, what if the activities of the Daily were cancelled because the university felt they were inciting violence?

What if Marty Forth’s recollection of President Beardshear’s Greek ban were repeated?

It could happen again, if students accept administrative “warnings” of “cancellation.”

The constitutionally guaranteed freedoms of all such organizations are related regardless of their mission.

Even if the guilt-by-association attributed to VEISHEA is valid, President Jischke cannot simply deny students the opportunity to assemble and associate freely.

Time, manner, and place restrictions must be negotiated — not simply denied.

If VEISHEA and other student organizations accept President Jischke’s warning, they do a disservice to other groups that could be affected by similar threats in the future.

If student groups wish to take a dry VEISHEA pledge, they should do it because they want to, not because they have to.

President Jischke isn’t giving students that choice.

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David Cmelik

Graduate student

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