After over 75 years, the tradition of Veishea at Iowa State is in desperate jeopardy. The students of ISU are now faced with the process of changing Veishea from something to be ashamed of into something we can be seriously proud to call a true Iowa State tradition.

In our house, we are float builders, and the change of not permitting alcohol will be a minimal sacrifice. During Veishea, we find ourselves more concerned with getting our large division float finished on less than two hours of sleep than worrying about needing a cold, frosty beer. This is the tradition at Delta Tau Delta fraternity — ensuring that we make an effective and powerful showing in the Veishea parade.

The question of the day from our friends, family and alumni this time of year is always, “How’s the float doing?” However, these sorts of tradition are now at risk, and there is ultimately nothing we can do about it.

It is the personal decision of each and every individual student whether he or she will respect the pledge and not destroy this amazing tradition for students of the future. Please remember — your actions affect more than just the present-day student, but students who are going to come to ISU in subsequent years.

Therefore, we are imploring the students of ISU to please join us in whole-heartedly supporting the Veishea pledge. Give ISU a celebration that truly showcases what we are so proud of here. And let us continue our tradition of building a float to celebrate our admiration for Iowa State University.

Casey Powers

Senior

Metallurgical engineering