I have read about every article about the problems of Veishea ever since the tragic event on Sunday morning of Veishea 1997. Many of the things expressed in those articles I do agree with. I agree there is a problem with underage drinking that needs to be dealt with. I agree Veishea does need to have more non-alcoholic events, and the Ames community needs to support those activities better than last year. (I say this because I was one of three co-chairs for Roc Da Rec, Veishea’s largest, non-alcoholic event, and it was extremely difficult to get even minimal support from organizations like Ames Lion’s Club and Ames Kiwanis.) And I agree that the ISU community needs to realize they have a duty to turn Veishea around and get it out of the mud that it is being dragged through.

I will admit that many of the articles have made me question both the ISU students and the ISU administration, but for the most part I haven’t really expressed my opinions. However, the article in Friday’s Daily about the Office of Admissions telling the Veishea committee they shouldn’t invite high school students to Veishea really hit a nerve in me. I guess there are two major reasons that this bothers me.

First, the main reason Veishea exists is to show prospective students what Iowa State University has to offer them if they choose to further their education here. Isn’t that why we have booths on central campus displaying the different opportunities at Iowa State and the activities that exist here? Now I suppose there is truth in Tom Becker’s statement in Friday’s Daily about students visiting on “less busy days,” but think back when you were a high school student. Would you rather experience Iowa State while there is a lot of exciting events going on around campus, or while a bunch of tired, worn-out students are bustling around campus thinking about how much homework they have and how little time they have to do it in? Hmmm, let me think about that one! I know for a fact that Veishea is one of the busiest times for coaches and recruiters to persuade high school students to come to Iowa State, so does this mean that the ISU Admissions Office is going to tell the coaches that they shouldn’t invite prospective athletes to ISU over Veishea? I don’t think so.

The second reason this bothers me so much is this is proving that the ISU administration thinks Veishea will not improve in 1998. They are practically saying that Veishea has always been a huge party, and if we leave it up to the students, that’s all it ever will be. I would hate to be on the Veishea committee when the administration is saying, “Veishea is in your hands,” but they are thinking, “They won’t do anything to change Veishea, so we better tell them what they can and can’t do.”

Now that I have put my two cents in, I’d like to wish the Veishea committee the best of luck for Veishea 1998, and with no disrespect to Uri Sellers or his family, I hope that the ISU and Ames community can look past the tragic event of last year and realize the reasons Veishea was established: to give ISU students a time to relax, put all their stress behind them and celebrate the spirit and history of Iowa State University.

Nathan Schramm

Junior

Management information systems