Despite all the nonsense that accompanies Veishea every year, I always seem to find a way to enjoy it. The reason why is hard to pin down exactly, but I think it has something to do with community (either that or it’s the booze). Veishea comes during a tough time of the year, when people are in need of a chance to get together and celebrate. What do they celebrate? They celebrate Iowa State.

But, what does celebrating Iowa State mean? Veishea is a very schizophrenic festival, with high-glitz publicity carnivals (called the “positive side” of Veishea) and lots of alcohol-fueled socializing (called the “unavoidable side” of Veishea). Of course, as we all know, in years past the unavoidable side has become a bit too exuberant, and the rest is pre-Veishea “riot” commentary. Since the last “riot” we have all learned to be more careful because otherwise we know the administration will take Veishea away forever. We admit that the “riots” are not a part of Veishea. We smile nervously and salute. But secretly, we watch and wait.

I’ve put “riot” in quotes so far because we really ought to keep clear what these events were. In all honesty, the “riots” are hardly deserving of the name. From what I’ve heard, they were more like the “Hey, let’s break a lamp” phase of a party that spilled into the street. We know there’s no malice in the riots, and so we tend to be rather half-hearted about condemning them.

What’s more, as reluctant as we are to admit it, riots and, even more, the discussion of riots, have become a major part of the Veishea tradition. Every year we hear the riots portrayed negatively and, sometimes positively, but one message shines through in the end: Veishea is not about the riots.

But we know better. Veishea is a community celebration, and any celebration worthy of the name has a tendency to get out of hand. Yet, the long term damage is small, and somehow a little Veishea rowdiness seems more real, more genuine, than the publicity campaign the administration would make of Veishea.

Of course, this is why the administration does not want Veishea to end. Veishea is a “tradition,” which makes it important to alumni. Even more, it is a PR extravaganza most universities would kill to be able to host. Needless to say, the money-makers of Iowa State (read “administrators”) take full advantage of the opportunity of Veishea, and it is no coincidence that as the administration of this university has become more business-oriented, so has Veishea. In fact, with each passing year Veishea has become more glitzy and commercial.

If it were up to the administration, I suspect they would eliminate all the untidy aspects of Veishea, leaving behind only the spectacle and the publicity. Unfortunately, those untidy aspects of Veishea are the real celebration of the community, and there’s nothing more boring than a publicity spectacle. People don’t want to be part of an extravaganza. They want to celebrate with their brothers and sisters.

When people riot, they ruin the extravaganza for the administration, and, I’m sorry, but I think that’s kind of funny. Maybe if the administration would back off a little and let people get just a bit out of hand, discussions of the riots would not seem so important to us. But they won’t do that, and so our fascination with the riots continues. The riots are a frustration of the “be-good-for-the-cameras” mentality the administration pushes so hard. They shift the meaning of Veishea away from something mandated by the administration toward a meaning that we create as a community. Maybe it’s not the best way to go about it, but the administration leaves us few options. And now they say they will cancel Veishea if ever we riot again.

Well, my question is, who gave the administration the right to make that threat? This is our celebration. This is our community. The administration serves us.

I’m not telling you to riot. If you tried to organize a riot around here you’d get a crowd of 20, at best. But I am saying that Veishea is a chance to get out there and bond with the community. Take advantage of it, and if someone burns a couch, laugh. It’s not that big a deal. We’ll sort things out. We’ll clean up in the morning.

By the way, start your Veishea fun by attending the rally on free speech. It’s Friday at 12:45 in front of Durham. Stand up for your rights!

Brian Johnson is a junior in English and philosophy from Amarillo, Texas.