One and a half years after cars were flipped and a light pole fell on a student at the riot that rid Iowa State of Veishea, recommendations to replace the long-standing and now canceled ISU tradition have finally made it to President Steven Leath’s desk for review.

A committee shared six recommendations for a different event that would showcase the students of Iowa State, including a winter event; a celebration in February for Valentine’s Day and Black History Month; a March Madness game-viewing party in Hilton Coliseum; a celebration of the arts on campus in April; a parade with the same route as the Homecoming parade; and a student-led community service event.

While we agree some sort of event needs to happen, nothing on the list will create the same sense of community that Veishea did for this university.

Veishea, created in 1922, was an event designed to represent the five original colleges of Iowa State: veterinary medicine, engineering, industrial science, home economics and agriculture. It transformed into a weeklong celebration, with the manifestation of the cherished cherry pies, parade, food fair and other events for students and alumni. The event was a huge economic drive for the city of Ames. The feeling around campus during Veishea week was one of united bliss.

The events suggested to replace this nearly 100-year-old lost tradition wouldn’t come close to giving the Ames and ISU communities what Veishea did. It was the one event of the year that students, alumni, Ames citizens and people from all across the state could celebrate together. And it might be the university’s goal to avoid such a celebration, as Veishea in its final years turned into a weeklong excuse for some students to infuse every beverage that passed their lips with alcohol, an outcome the tradition’s founders surely wouldn’t welcome.

But if the university is trying to create some sort of replacement, the suggestions need to be less specific. None of the suggestions, except for the student-led community service event, would showcase the students of Iowa State as the university hopes the event would.

If each event were to take place, it’d basically be breaking up what Veishea week would have been but in a way that would lack any sort of buildup and student excitement.

We understand the university wants to avoid what Veishea ended up turning into, but to replace such a withstanding, influential tradition by handing out cherry pies on Valentine’s Day won’t unify the student body. If the goal is to replace Veishea, nothing will reach the same bar. If the goal, however, is to create a tradition students can get passionate about, the student reaction to such an event might be more positive. Students need a cause or event they can take into their own hands and mold into something they can be proud of and something alumni can look forward to returning to celebrate.