If they aren’t careful, some residence hall visitors may find themselves arrested for trespassing over Veishea weekend.

A policy that was distributed to residence hall floors by the Department of Residence states that guests must be registered whether they stay all three days during Veishea or simply for a five-minute walk through residence hall buildings.

The policy states that a guest is a visitor who does not live in the residence halls, regardless of length of stay.

Guests must be registered at the hall desk or at the post office during normal operating hours.

In order to register, guests must submit the name and room number of the resident, as well as the guest’s name, home address, phone number and dates of arrival and departure.

Visitors will receive a registration card that must be presented upon request from an authorized staff member.

Unregistered guests may be arrested for trespassing by officers from the Department of Public Safety.

“The whole point is so you think about who you’re inviting and who you’re letting in,” said Jill Wiley, supervisor of Union Drive Association Student Security.

“If I were a resident, I would want to know that [guests] are supposed to be there,” said Randy Alexander, director of residence. “Some students would see it differently because it’s not what they’re used to.”

Some Iowa State students disagree with the policy.

“I think it’s a waste of time,” said Erin Bryant, freshman in zoology and resident of Friley Hall. “It’s very anal-retentive that [DPS] is going to arrest [guests] if they aren’t registered.”

Shawn Mohr, freshman in computer science and resident of Willow Hall, said, “It’s just going to be a pain in the ass, and your guests won’t have any fun. My friends think it’s so stupid that they’re not even coming up.”

But decreasing the number of visitors is one of the policy’s primary goals.

“In the past when there have been problems with Veishea, it has often been caused by people who aren’t students,” Alexander said. “To me, it’s common sense.

It’s a weekend with a large number of people from out of town.”

Lt. Scott Newman, of DPS, said the residence halls will not be significantly affected.

He added that it is standard policy for guests to be escorted in halls after 11 p.m.

“This is a private residence hall. If you’re not escorted, we’ll ask you to leave,” he said.

Newman also said the policy allows him to concentrate on other issues, such as drivers who enter and leave Ames.

Wiley said guests will stay out of trouble as long as their behavior is not suspicious.

“If [guests] are not doing anything we probably won’t ask for [registration cards],” Wiley said.

She said the same situation will be applied toward student residents.

“Unless you’re drunk, we’re not going to ask you for a fee card,” Wiley said.

One RA agrees that the policy is not as strict as it might seem.

“I don’t think I would call [DPS] unless [guests] were making trouble,” said Anne Heggen, sophomore in biology and RA of Hutton House in Friley Hall. “I would probably say, ‘Go get registered.'”

Heggen said the policy’s main purpose is to prevent damage to residence hall property, which has been a problem in the past.

“It’s just to make sure we can crack down on things like that,” she said.

The policy states that its intention is “to remind you of your responsibility for your guest’s behavior and how that behavior can influence the future of Veishea.”

The university simply wants students to be responsible on Veishea weekend, Wiley said.

“I don’t think it’s a big deal,” Alexander said. “This is the first institution I’ve worked at where guests weren’t registered every night after a certain hour.”

He said although some people may not like the idea, it is a common procedure on many other campuses.

“I can see where they’re coming from, but it’s still a huge inconvenience,” said Laura Schmitt, freshman in biology and resident of Friley Hall. “It’s their way of suppressing our fun.”

Guest registration began Tuesday at 7 p.m. and will continue throughout this week during normal post office operating hours, from 7:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.