To the Editor:

Ha! Ha! Very funny. It was a joke, wasn’t it? In regards, to the Daily’s Editorial Board’s proposal for changing the name of the Veishea celebration, I can only ask, “are you kidding?”

I have grown up with the Veishea celebration, first as a kid who annually came to Ames with his grandma for cherry pies and the Veishea parade, and now as a student who gets to experience so much more of the celebration. The board spoke of the celebration’s commitment to education, even though Veishea seems to have become really just one big party weekend.

While recent committees have renewed their commitment to education (and I applaud them for it), let’s not overlook tradition. My family has been a part of ISU and the Veishea celebrations for years. It is a tradition in my family. My grandmother hasn’t missed a Veishea parade in over 25 years. Try to convince her about “Vefeglasbad.” I know I’ll always remember walking along the campus with her and asking what Veishea really stood for. She told me it was for the original colleges of Veterinary Medicine, Engineering, Industrial Sciences, Home Economics and Agriculture.

Veishea is a celebration of students, present and past. Too many times we focus on change, but change isn’t always good. Sometimes tradition needs to be honorable. Think of all the great traditions here at Iowa State. Perhaps the Veishea committee should focus on that instead of “Vefeglasbad.”

Jason Ellingson

Junior

English education