President Jischke has given Iowa State students an ultimatim: ban alcohol at Veishea or end the celebration altogether.

After last year’s murder of Uri Sellers and riots at three other celebrations, Jischke is asking students to pledge to answer what he calls a “wake up call.”

He said the tragedies that have grown from Veishea are the result of alcohol use and abuse. He is right. Something needs to be done about Veishea.

Therefore, in order for Veishea to continue into its 76th year, the residence halls and Greek system must pledge to halt drinking during the weekend festivities.

The next step in determining the future of Veishea for the Inter-Residence Hall Association, the Panhellenic Council, the Inter-Fraternity Council, GSB and the Veishea co-chairs to make the decision. We think Jischke’s move is a good gesture to change the face of Veishea.

If students accept the alcohol ban, Jischke said the university will work to increase alcohol education, security, and entertainment.

The idea of moving “Taste of Veishea” from Campustown to central campus is wise.

Anti-alcohol task forces may also be implemented in the greek system and residence halls.

Jischke also plans to ask for the support of the Ames community.

All of this is to make Veishea a celebration more tailored toward ISU students, rather than attracting out-of-towners who may come simply to party.

While Jischke’s ultimatim is a nice plan, it may not be as easy as it sounds.

He’s encouraging students to take the difficult path of keeping Veishea, but there are some problems that may not be solved.

Sure, Veishea has a glorious 75-year tradition, but its national status of being one of the largest student-run celebrations has more to it.

Playboy magazine named it as the third largest college party in America.

That makes it pretty hard to keep visitors out. And because the university can only institute an alcohol ban for residence halls, fraternities and soroties, there will be more people flocking to off-campus areas. This may simply concentrate the partiers, making for yet another potentially dangerous situation.

You can’t stop college aged students’ drinking, you can barely control it. The fat remains that even if the campus areas are designated as dry, that still leaves the off campus areas and those are impossible for ISU to control.

President Jischke, being the intellugent and well educated man that he knows realizes that the decision of what to do about Veishea should be left up to the students.

However, in his wisdom, he appears to have made an error, and actually it could be a critical one.

While he is trying to make changes about what happens on campus he must remember that more than a third of ISU students live off campus.

With a third off campus and each of them bringing friends who don’t live or go to school here it becomes quite a mess.

The past events of Veishea are horrible and it is far from anyone’s hopes of having any repeats of them, especially last years events.

There are many things that could possibly effect Veishea and the most important is students.

There are many things that will be effected if there is no Veishea and the most important one is the students.

President Jischke’s plan is a very honorable one and one that needs to be looked at in it’s entirety and there is no reason at least i our opinion that it shouldn’t at least be tried.

After all how often does the administration offer to help in any way possible so that something we love so much continue like it should?

This entire editorial board is in complete accord that something needs to be done about Veishea and we also agree that alcohol is a terrible problem.

Yet, what we are worried about is with the reputation Veishea has will going dry really solve any problems?