Chronicle Editorial

Veishea suspension a justified decision

             As the light poles and street signs came crashing down in Ames last Tuesday, so too did the fate of Iowa State University’s beloved Veishea celebration. The senseless alcohol-fueled destruction from a student-led mob caused thousands of dollars in damage to campus businesses, city property and vehicles parked on the street. The irrational late-night antics forced ISU President Steven Leath to cancel all Veishea-related activities for the remainder of last week, which was indeed the correct call now and for the near future.

    The stupidity surrounding the situation left Leath with little choice. Not only did the riot rack up a huge damage bill, but it left one student in critical condition after an uprooted lightpole smashed into his skull as it fell to the ground. Senseless destruction is one thing, but severe injuries are an entirely different story. These ISU students had nothing to riot over other than the fact that it was Veishea and they were drunk, and one young man almost died because of it.

    It would be one thing if last week’s events were a first for Veishea, but most of us know that’s simply not the case. Recent uprisings have marred the annual celebration which had previously enjoyed relatively peaceful observances for much of its 92-year history.

    In 1988, around 50 students were arrested and 24 were injured following a two-night rager on campus. Four years later in 1992, upwards of 8,000 people formed a mob and threw rocks and beer bottles at officers during a riot near Alumni Hall. Someone was murdered in 1997, and a smaller mob swarmed campus prior to the event in 1999 after officials announced Veishea would be “alcohol-free.” The most recent debacle came in 2004 when nearly 100 police were called in to break up a riot during the weekend’s festivities. More than $100,000 in damage was caused by the mob, which led to the arrests of 38 people. Veishea was canceled the following year and was reinstated in 2006.

    Each of the past four decades is marked by some large-scale riot with a few smaller mishaps scattered in between. All attempts at curbing the mayhem have fallen short, and ISU administration definitely has its back up against the wall following last week’s fiasco. Past riots were blamed on out-of-towners visiting for the weekend, but as Leath made clear last week, this happened on a Tuesday night with very few visitors on campus. Damage was done by ISU students and the blame rests solely on their heads. Though many have called for the end of Veishea once and for all, opportunities do exist that could restore at least some order to this week-long binge of haphazard partying.

    First and foremost, canceling the event in 2015 seems like a fair punitive measure following this year’s episode. It happened after 2004’s riot, and there’s really no reason it shouldn’t happen again. Second, Veishea should be downsized to a three-day weekend event if it were to get reinstated in 2016. Saving a few of the more traditional events for Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday could reduce the impetus for seven straight days of campus-wide partying. By no means is it reasonable to believe students will completely stop their boozey celebrations ╨they’re in college after all, and that’s what college kids do. But making aking Veishea half as long as it once was seems like a reasonable compromise in the face of complete termination. It’s evident the collective student body can’t handle such a massive event responsibly, which is truly a shame for the majority who’ve kept themselves in check over the years.

    Ultimately, Veishea’s future will be determined by a special university task force before the end of the school year. Last week’s riot was truly indefensible and it severely jeopardizes this longstanding and well-liked celebration. Iowa State has a lot to be proud of, and Veishea was originally intended to showcase the school’s achievements and highlight its progress. Unfortunately, much of that’s been overshadowed by events like last week’s riot. People should be able to celebrate and have fun, but all that becomes meaningless once judgment is thrown to the wayside in favor of mob-driven destruction. A line was crossed last week, and it was made painfully clear Veishea needs to be scaled back before more pointlessly tragic mishaps occur in the future.