Thank you Kel for your wonderful words of wisdom in your “Appalling Abdication.” Until you volunteer endless hours for peer security training, which includes conflict management, self-defense, and first aid training, you have no right to bash on Brad James for the job he did as peer security co-chair. He showed outstanding coordination and leadership and worked to his best ability to make sure Veishea would run smoothly.

Peer security is solely for the purpose of keeping tensions low. We are mediators and greeters. We do not carry guns or tear gas, only a radio for communication purposes. We are not the police and hence, we do not act like them.

Blame for the tragic murder of Harold “Uri” Sellers cannot be pointed at the Ames Police Department or volunteers like peer security. There were approximately 25 volunteer peer security members along with the Ames Police Department, Department of Public Safety, lowa Highway State Patrol, and Story County Sheriff’s Deputies who covered the Welch Avenue area and Ames.

Should we invite the entire National Guard next year for added protection? Or should we depend on a little more responsibility from outsiders who lack respect for Veishea and its importance to the university and the Ames community?

It’s not our job as peer security to baby-sit drunken fools who come into our town without the true spirit of Veishea. It should be the responsibility of those who invite these drunken troublemakers into Ames.

And just as practical as your solution of banning alcohol from all social organizations, why don’t we invest millions of dollars into buying metal detectors for all entrances into the campustown area. Both are totally impractical and neither will solve this problem so give up your fight against alcohol, it doesn’t always lead to problems.

We would like to say thank you to all of the people on Veishea committees that helped to make this year run as smoothly as possible, especially to Brad James and Wade Lancaster the peer security co-chairs, and to Officer Tom with the Ames Police Department.

Michelle Buchheit

Sophomore

Political Science

Peer Security and Party Response Team

Tracy Shay

Senior

Political Science

Peer Security and

Party Response Team

Amy Dippel

Senior

Political Science