Members of Leath's "Veishea Task Force" Announced

[CycloneErik]

So you would allow people who overindulge in alcohol in the last 20 years to end a 100+ year FAMILY tradition? That just doesn't sit well with me. I'd rather fight the apparent "need" to get drunk & distructive.

Yup. 26 years was enough time to change the culture, and it didn't happen.

 

[MNCyGuy]

Having seen what VEISHEA is or has become, it hasn't done us very well.
Traditions with value are worth preserving. Traditions without value aren't worth preserving. When one has this negative connotation, it's not worth preserving.

There are lots of parts of VEISHEA that shouldn't be problematic and are worth preserving. There are lots of positive organizations on that campus that simply wouldn't get any sort of annual recognition and support from the community if they weren't packaged together under the VEISHEA banner. How many people take in SOV, or a drumline performance, etc. etc, that would never make the trip to campus for those things if they weren't a part of VEISHEA?

Like I said, if they need to put it on hiatus to give themselves enough time to work out a way to bring it back better and safer, so be it. But they NEED to find a way to bring it back in some shape or form.

 

[ricochet]

They need to make a VEISHEA Task Force that just patrols the streets during VEISHEA tazing people that get too rowdy.

Can they where these shirts?

 

[colbycheese]

If you mean pull the plug on the "VEISHEA" name, then I might agree with you. Re-creating the event and returning it to its original purpose is probably the best way to go. Ditching any sort of spring celebration of Iowa State is an awful idea. It's one of our proudest traditions.

Let's rename it the "Iowa State Fair"!




















wink:

 

[CycloneErik]

There are lots of parts of VEISHEA that shouldn't be problematic and are worth preserving. There are lots of positive organizations on that campus that simply wouldn't get any sort of annual recognition and support from the community if they weren't packaged together under the VEISHEA banner. How many people take in SOV, or a drumline performance, etc. etc, that would never make the trip to campus for those things if they weren't a part of VEISHEA?

Like I said, if they need to put it on hiatus to give themselves enough time to work out a way to bring it back better and safer, so be it. But they NEED to find a way to bring it back in some shape or form.

Good question. How many?

Overall, they don't need to find a way at all. They can very easily say it's a privilege that people failed to handle responsibly and move on.

 

[twistedredbird]

Honestly, using the name Veishea in anyway will continue to spawn parties and drunkeness.

there are a lot of alumni, my wife and I included, that have nothing but bad memories of it. Of course, we were there through the 88 and 92 riots.

It is just an embarrassment to us. Comments from colleagues, "guess you got nothing else to do in Iowa but get drunk," etc. Outside of our "little world" it is not doing our university any favors.

 

[MNCyGuy]

Good question. How many?

Overall, they don't need to find a way at all. They can very easily say it's a privilege that people failed to handle responsibly and move on.

All that says is that we are more interested in taking the easy way out to solve this problem than engaging our community, students, and alumni base and keeping them involved with this campus in a positive way. I was ok with cancelling this year because it needed to be addressed and they didn't have time to develop and evaluate a bunch of other options. I'm fine with a hiatus if they don't think one year is a sufficient enough amount of time to get the event back on track. I will be VERY disappointed in the administration if the best idea they can come up with is a permanent cancellation. This is Iowa State, we are smarter, more creative people than that.

 

[MNCyGuy]

Honestly, using the name Veishea in anyway will continue to spawn parties and drunkeness.

there are a lot of alumni, my wife and I included, that have nothing but bad memories of it. Of course, we were there through the 88 and 92 riots.

It is just an embarrassment to us. Comments from colleagues, "guess you got nothing else to do in Iowa but get drunk," etc. Outside of our "little world" it is not doing our university any favors.

A name change probably should be on the table, if only for PR reasons. People associated with Iowa State or in central Iowa are always going to think of it as Veishea though, I don't think you can change that.

 

[CycloneErik]

All that says is that we are more interested in taking the easy way out to solve this problem than engaging our community, students, and alumni base and keeping them involved with this campus in a positive way. I was ok with cancelling this year because it needed to be addressed and they didn't have time to develop and evaluate a bunch of other options. I'm fine with a hiatus if they don't think one year is a sufficient enough amount of time to get the event back on track. I will be VERY disappointed in the administration if the best idea they can come up with is a permanent cancellation. This is Iowa State, we are smarter, more creative people than that.

The evidence suggests that we aren't, since this problem lingers on.

If they can put together tangible evidence that suggests that there are significantly more people partaking in the activities that people are sentimental about rather than the ones that got us into this discussion, then there's potential room, but the burden goes that way for the evidence now.

 

[Cycsk]

How much would it cost to get someone like Rhoads or Woody, basically anyone a drunk ISU student might actually recognize and listen to, camped out with a megaphone on Welch ready to calm things down at the first sign of a mob forming?

I think this is on the right track.

Further, I think a few guy like Woody could have kept a few drunks from tipping over cars and light poles.

 

[MNCyGuy]

The evidence suggests that we aren't, since this problem lingers on.

If they can put together tangible evidence that suggests that there are significantly more people partaking in the activities that people are sentimental about rather than the ones that got us into this discussion, then there's potential room, but the burden goes that way for the evidence now.

Honestly, if you're just talking people actually involved in violence/property damage, I don't think that would even be a hard case to make.

 

[Cycsk]

This may seem off-topic, but bear with me here. We spent a little time traveling around Great Britain a few years back. One of the things that blew me away was the sheer age of some of the buildings. They have oak trees in Cornwall that are older than than the landing on Plymouth Rock. It's awe-inspiring.

In this country, we tear down to build new. There's not a lot of history or tradition that lingers. Houses more than 100 years old are becoming increasingly rare, unless there is a local preservation society.

Yes, life moves on. And traditions change. I just think we (as a nation, and as ISU fans) are becoming terribly nonchalant about the things that have made us US.

Have you recently driven down Lincoln Way near Welsh? Lots of buildings coming down.

 

[ImJustKCClone]

Yup. 26 years was enough time to change the culture, and it didn't happen.

No. 6 times in the last 26 years of the past 100+ years tells me that there were a lot of very selfish people during those years (and other years to a lesser extent) who elevated their self-gratification over the hard work of their peers. You're advocating letting them win. I'm not. I choose to try to help those who are trying to keep VEISHEA a celebration of Veterinary, Engineering, Industrial Science, Home Economics, and Agriculture...not another excuse for over-consumption and vandalism.

 

[CycloneErik]

Honestly, if you're just talking people actually involved in violence/property damage, I don't think that would even be a hard case to make.

I'm not. I'm talking people involved overall in the atmosphere that fosters this thing.
There's hardly a chance that the activities related to campus can compete with the party scene. VEISHEA is and has been just an excuse to party a little bit longer.

 

[CycloneErik]

No. 6 times in the last 26 years of the past 100+ years tells me that there were a lot of very selfish people during those years (and other years to a lesser extent) who elevated their self-gratification over the hard work of their peers. You're advocating letting them win. I'm not. I choose to try to help those who are trying to keep VEISHEA a celebration of Veterinary, Engineering, Industrial Science, Home Economics, and Agriculture...not another excuse for over-consumption and vandalism.

I can try to keep Hitler out of power, too, but that ship sailed a long time ago.
It's not about "keeping" a celebration focused on the original colleges. That's just window dressing anymore.

 

[MNCyGuy]

No. 6 times in the last 26 years of the past 100+ years tells me that there were a lot of very selfish people during those years (and other years to a lesser extent) who elevated their self-gratification over the hard work of their peers. You're advocating letting them win. I'm not. I choose to try to help those who are trying to keep VEISHEA a celebration of Veterinary, Engineering, Industrial Science, Home Economics, and Agriculture...not another excuse for over-consumption and vandalism.

Exactly. Something was working for the last 8 years and ceased to work this year. It's a problem that needs to be solved, but I refuse to believe it's unsolvable. I have more faith in my alma mater than that.

 

[MNCyGuy]

I can try to keep Hitler out of power, too, but that ship sailed a long time ago.
It's not about "keeping" a celebration focused on the original colleges. That's just window dressing anymore.

When did you get so pessimistic Erik? This seems like an out-of-character sour note for you to keep hitting over and over.

 

[3TrueFans]

When did you get so pessimistic Erik? This seems like an out-of-character sour note for you to keep hitting over and over.

He's a sad, jaded old man now.

 

[CycloneErik]

When did you get so pessimistic Erik? This seems like an out-of-character sour note for you to keep hitting over and over.

Historically, I'm not a VEISHEA optimist. I think the evidence here suggests a pretty clear pattern. I tend to follow the evidence whenever possible.

 

[ImJustKCClone]

I can try to keep Hitler out of power, too, but that ship sailed a long time ago.
It's not about "keeping" a celebration focused on the original colleges. That's just window dressing anymore.

And with your outlook you are giving tacit approval to what they have done by accepting it as a given "fact".

And I'm sorry, but HITLER??? Good god, man!