An off-campus party the size of Grand Central Station may sound appealing, but small, confined parties make for the best Veishea celebrations, officials said.

At a “Party Peacefully” meeting Tuesday regarding off-campus Veishea parties, campus and city representatives said the key to having a good party was not letting the party get out of hand.

Stephanie Chervinko, program assistant for the Off-Campus Center, said before having a party, persons should check with the landlord and look at the lease to see what a tenant can and cannot do.

“Often [the lease] will say not to have kegs or limit the number of people you can have,” she said. “One of the biggest issues for parties is losing your deposit.”

However, notifying the landlord ahead of time doesn’t always save one from trouble, Chervinko said, because some will issue a tenant an automatic fine if any clause of the lease is violated.

“If there is a landlord-tenant dispute, people should go to the Off-Campus Center,” she said. The center offers services and handles disputes all year, not just during Veishea.

Chervinko said the best way to avoid any disputes is to invite only friends. She suggested that it is better not to have large parties because it is more likely to have strangers in attendance. This can result in losing a deposit because of damages, indoors or outdoors.

Property damages, whether they are from people urinating in the yard or throwing beer cups, also means an invitation for the Ames Police Department.

Ames Police Officer Shawn Phipps said parties get known by word of mouth, so hosts must be strict about who they invite.

“There will be people coming and going,” she said. “It’s the people who aren’t your friends that don’t look in your best interests that causes a party to get busted.”

Phipps said people should issue a system of wristbands to distinguish people who are under 21 at a party. She said tenants must also be aware of the keg ordinance, which states that if there is to be more than one keg at a party, a person must have a permit issued by the Ames Police Chief.

Party hosts must also control the noise at a party, said Ames officer Tom Oxley.

“If there are more people, the temptation is to turn the music up,” he said. If the noise measures at least 60 decibels before midnight and 55 decibels after midnight, the police have a right to issue a citation, Phipps said.

Mike Heller, peer security coordinator for Veishea 1996, said there will be peer security officers available to warn a party site if it receives complaints.

There will be three party response teams made up of three students and a representative from the Dean of Students Office who will work with the police department and the Iowa State Department of Public Safety in making sure parties don’t get out of hand.

Heller said if the police get a complaint from neighbors about a party, they will contact DPS, who will then refer the call to one of the party response teams. “If you get a party response team, it’s important to listen to suggestions before Ames police show up,” he said.

However, off-campus parties shouldn’t count on peer security to come and warn them if things get out of hand, he said, because the Ames Police Department may be the first to visit a party if a situation is within its reach.