Distance Ames – Des Moines ≈ 50 km

TheIowaChannel.com

Will Riots End VEISHEA?

Students Plan Rally To Save Event

Diane Kockler, Staff Writer

POSTED: 5:46 AM CDT April 18, 2004
UPDATED: 1:21 PM CDT April 19, 2004

AMES, Iowa –

Iowa State University officials are considering the future of VEISHEA after a five-hour riot Sunday morning. The annual student celebration in Ames has a history of violence, and this year, police in riot gear used tear gas to break up the large, unruly crowds.

Police said the crowd of about 1,000 got out of hand just after midnight, throwing rocks, breaking off light poles and breaking dozens of windows in the campus town area.

Police say the problems started when they went in to crack down on a party in the 2600 block of Hunt Street, which is on the edge of campus town. Continue VEISHEA? Should Iowa State University continue to hold the annual VEISHEA celebration after several years of rioting? Thank you for completing this survey from TheIowaChannel.com. Yes, VEISHEA should continue. No, the event should be canceled.

Officers said when they arrived, several hundred people were in the area and were overflowing into the street.

Police said the crowd started throwing bottles and cans at the officers and at their vehicles. Then, police said some people began yelling and chanting "Riot, Riot."

Officers said after the crowd was dispersed on Hunt, several hundred people began gathering in the area of Lincoln Way and Welch and the area of Welch and Chamberlain.

Police said the crowd committed many acts of vandalism, including damaging parking meters, setting dumpsters on fire, breaking store windows and attacking passing cars. Some people also attempted to lift and overturn police cars (pictured, below left).

Officers said they used riot gas to disperse the crowd. More than 30 people were arrested for a variety of charges, including ISU basketball player Jared Homan.

About 20 people were hospitalized with skin and eye irritation.

Ames police, the Iowa State Department of Public Safety, the Story County Sheriff's Office and the Iowa State Patrol were finally able to disperse the crowd and bring the situation under control about 5 a.m. Sunday morning.

"This will be my 13th VEISHEA, and this is by far the most violent as far as damage up and down Welch Avenue," Ames Police Chief Loras Jaeger said.

History Of Riots

The VEISHEA celebration has a history of riots and other disturbances happening during its long tradition at Iowa State.

College officials have tried a number of different remedies to avoid the repeat of violence, including moving the celebration earlier into the year in the hopes that cooler weather would prevent unruly crowds.

Also, Iowa State and the City of Ames has cracked down on alcohol use by students and visitors on the streets.

The event has been dry since 1998, the year after a homicide occurred during the festivities. There were also riots in the late '80s and early '90s.

Continue VEISHEA?

College officials say they will now meet to determine the future of VEISHEA and whether it will return next year.

ISU President Gregory Geoffroy said it's time to "seriously assess the future of VEISHEA, including a determination on whether or not it should continue, and if it does, in what form and with what changes."

"That kind of behavior is not what VEISHEA is supposed to be about and we simply cannot tolerate violence and destruction," Geoffroy said.

VEISHEA was named in 1922 for the five colleges at Iowa State: V standing for Veterinary Medicine, E for Engineering, IS for Industrial Science, HE for Home Economics, and A for Agriculture.

The event's Web site touts VEISHEA as "the largest student-run, alcohol-free celebration of entertainment and education in the nation and second largest in the world."

Students Speak Out

Iowa State students have planned a rally Monday at 5 p.m. Student leaders say the event is a chance for students to show their support of VEISHEA.

The rally will be held next to Lake LaVerne on the Ames campus.

Watch KCCI for coverage of the VEISHEA rally.

Discussion: What Do You Think?

Copyright 2004 by TheIowaChannel.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

WTOV9.com

Riots Mar Iowa College Celebration

Police In Riot Gear Face Hundreds Of Students

POSTED: 11:36 a.m. EDT April 18, 2004
UPDATED: 4:43 p.m. EDT April 18, 2004

AMES, Iowa -- Damage is "extensive" after a yearly festival near Iowa State University turned ugly early Sunday morning, police said.

Police said officers used tear gas on a crowd of about a 1,000 after the mob attacked cars, broke store windows and uprooted streetlights in Ames.

About two dozen people were arrested on charges ranging from disorderly conduct to assaulting a police officer.

Officers said they took a call around midnight Sunday night that a group of several hundred people was getting out of hand. People in the crowd reportedly tossed bottles and cans at police, yelling, "riot, riot!"

It took more than five hours for police to break it up.

About 20 people were treated at the hospital, mostly for skin and eye irritations from the tear gas.

The annual campus fair has experienced trouble before. The university banned alcohol sales after a man was killed following the festival in 1997.

The Ames Police Department, the Iowa State Department of Public Safety, the Story County Sheriff's Office and the Iowa State Patrol were called in to bring the situation under control.

The event, called VEISHEA, was named in 1922 for the five colleges at Iowa State: V standing for Veterinary Medicine, E for Engineering, IS for Industrial Science, HE for Home Economics, and A for Agriculture.

The event's Web site touts VEISHEA as "the largest student-run, alcohol-free celebration of entertainment and education in the nation and second-largest in the world."

College officials said they will now meet to determine the future of VEISHEA and whether it will return next year.

Distributed by Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

19 avril 2004 

Une fête estudiantine dégénère en émeute en Iowa

AMES, Iowa (AP) - Un festival annuel près de l'université de l'Iowa dans le nord-est des Etats-Unis a dégénéré en émeute tôt dimanche quand plus d'un millier de personnes ont endommagé des voitures, brisé des vitrines et des lampadaires, a dit la police.
La police a dû faire usage de grenades lacrymogènes pour éparpiller la foule avant d'interpeller une trentaine de personnes pour des motifs allant de trouble à l'ordre public à agression d'un représentant des forces de l'ordre.
Une vingtaine de personnes ont dû recevoir des soins pour des blessures plus ou moins légères, essentiellement des irritations de la peau et des yeux dues au gaz lacrymogène.
Dimanche après-midi, on ne disposait pas d'évaluation de l'étendue des dégâts mais selon la police, ces dégâts sont «importants».
Les policiers ont répondu à un appel peu après minuit par les organisateurs de ce festival qui sentaient que la situation leur échappait.
Les forces de l'ordre ont été accueillies par des jets de bouteilles et canettes aux cris d'»émeute, émeute!». Les festivaliers s'en sont ensuite pris aux lampadaires et panneaux de signalisation, ont mis le feu à des poubelles, brisé des vitrines et endommagé des voitures, a dit la police.

AP
ma/dn4211
© AP - The Associated Press. Tous droits réservés.

ISU Basketball Player Arrested for Role in VEISHEA Riots

Monday, April 19, 2004, 7:26:56 PM

From The KCRG-TV9 Cedar Rapids Newsroom

An Iowa State University men's basketball player is one of 38 people arrested during Saturday’s riots.

Jared Homan is charged with interference with official acts. He is a junior center from Remsen and averaged more than 11 points and six rebounds last season.

Cyclone coach Wayne Morgan plans to review Homan's status with the team.

Homan was also ticketed for underage possession of alcohol in 2002. He pleaded guilty to public urination later that year, and was arrested for public intoxication last spring.

Copyright CRTV Company

Iowa State campus festival sparks riot

Associated Press

April 19, 2004  

AMES, Iowa -- A yearly festival near the Iowa State University campus turned riotous early Sunday when more than 1,000 people vandalized cars, broke storefront windows and tore down street lights, police said.

Officers broke up the crowd with tear gas and arrested about 30 people on charges ranging from disorderly conduct to assaulting a police officer, police said.

About 20 people received treatment for minor injuries at a nearby hospital, mainly for skin and eye irritations from the tear gas.

There were no estimates of property damage Sunday afternoon, but police said the damage was "extensive."

Officers responded to a call around midnight that a group of people at the annual student-organized Veishea celebration was getting out of hand and arrived to find a crowd of several hundred people flowing into the street.

People from the crowd began throwing bottles and cans at police, and yelling "riot, riot!" police said in a news release. Festivalgoers tore down street lights and road signs, set trash bins on fire, rolled parked cars, broke storefront windows and attacked cars, police said.

Police let off tear gas but the crowd did not completely disperse until around 5:30 a.m.

Some at the scene said police behavior escalated the situation.

"The left side of my face is burning up. We didn't do anything. We were just walking away with the crowd," said Andrea Seminara, a junior at the school.

Among those arrested was Iowa State basketball player Jared Homan, police confirmed Sunday night. The junior center was charged with interference. "At this time, we are in the process of getting the facts about what happened Sunday morning. When I have all the facts, I will make a decision about taking further action," coach Wayne Morgan said.

The Veishea celebration, begun in 1922, is an acronym contrived from the names of various schools at the university. It has had disturbances before.

The university barred alcohol from being served at the event after a man was killed in the hours after the 1997 celebration. Neither the victim nor his two assailants were Iowa State students.

There were several riots after Veishea celebrations in the late 1980s and early 1990s, said university spokesman John McCarroll.

Although alcohol sales are banned, many students live in the immediate area and drinking is prevalent.

Iowa State President Gregory Geoffroy issued a statement saying the university will assess whether the Veishea celebration should continue, and if it does, what changes should be made.

"We simply cannot tolerate violence and destruction," he said.

What makes a riot?

April 24, 2004

By: Matt Neznanski, Staff Writer

Group violence like Veishea riot follows trends

Warm spring weather, scores of out-of-town revelers, and alcohol combine to create perfect conditions for a riot - not just in Ames but nationwide.
Violent outbursts by mobs of revelers aren't so much a question of if they will occur, but when, according to an Iowa State University professor who studies such behavior.
"It would be a monumental task for a community to avoid something like that," said Steffen Schmidt, professor of political science. "We have degenerated into a society in which vandalism and rowdy behavior is a common phenomenon."
In the aftermath of Sunday's Campustown riot and during any deliberation to keep or toss the Veishea celebration, Schmidt suggests comparing similar events to get the best picture of what to do. Such events aren't rare.
Schmidt said he grew up in South America, where civil unrest was common, and witnessed several large student riots in college in the 1960s and 1970s.
Susan Cross, an ISU associate professor of psychology, was a student at Ohio State in the 1980s when National Guard troops were called out to quell violence.
"It's really not that unusual, it's not that new and not that surprising," she said.
During mass demonstrations, two groups of people may react very differently to similar circumstances. That's what makes containing a mob a touchy and delicate affair.
Research suggests that people involved in group violence lose themselves in the crowd and that such demonstrations follow trends, no matter where they occur.

Recipe for trouble
Temperature, a sense of injustice, and heightened emotions - good or bad - are factors that contribute to riots, Schmidt said.
Warm weather encourages people to get together outside, often resulting in police attention, which can heat up emotions. When the interaction becomes more intense and people see members of their group being threatened, people become angry and self-righteous.
Alcohol can intensify aggressive behavior, but the absence of it doesn't mean mob violence won't occur. Schmidt said riots happen in the Middle East where alcohol is banned.
However they begin, once the threshold is crossed riots take on a life of their own, like a brushfire. Small episodes play out in a series of events that affect other incidents. During a riot, events that happened a half-hour ago have a great effect on what's happening now.
Meanwhile, people inside the mob contribute to the event's "story" as they become more a part of the crowd than they are single entities.
"Groups actually take on a personality," Schmidt said. "It's not just a bunch of individuals."
While groups are made up of individuals, each person tends to lose his or her own sense of responsibility through a process known as deindividuation, said Cross.
"When these kinds of events break out, we tend to go along with them. The larger the group, the more powerful they are," she said.
Acting as a group and at night, people feel anonymous. Cross said the idea is similar to that of the Ku Klux Klan, which cover the faces of its members and terrorizes people under cover of darkness.

Taming the beast
"The one thing you never do when dealing with this kind of situation is get many different people with many different opinions together and allow a group to merge into too large of a group to handle," Schmidt said.
His research into riots surrounding World Bank meetings and anti-globalization rallies suggests that the most effective method to calm a crowd is to infiltrate the crowd and break it up from the inside.
In that strategy, plainclothes officers "swarm" the crowd by moving within it, arresting prominent leaders and removing instigators from the scene.
Police in Seattle weren't prepared for anti-globalization protests. Police in riot gear formed walls and pushed protesters through the streets, and property damage was high.
When a similar event occurred in Washington D.C., Schmidt said, riot police quietly infiltrated the crowd and arrested ringleaders before anything happened.
"I would never presume to judge whether law enforcement in this town did the right thing or not. I wasn't there," Schmidt said.
But considering that nobody was killed and injuries to both parties were minimal, he said this year's Veishea riot has a happy ending if both the university and city look into what could have been done differently.

When the smoke clears
Following a riot, people start looking for explanations, Cross said.
"As Americans, we tend to make self-serving attributions that make us feel better," she said. Rioters blame police for being too aggressive, and police point to the drunken crowd for going too far.
Meanwhile, those outside the scene often jump to conclusions without knowing the whole story, she said.
"They say, 'Students can't hold their liquor or they don't appreciate people's property,'" she said.
Ultimately, ISU will decide whether or not to continue with the student-run festival. Schmidt said canceling Veishea, however, may not be the simple answer to stopping violence.
"On a spring weekend, you're still going to get a number of large parties," he said. Plus, a cancelation could incite students to react next year in memory of the traditional event.
"Whether Veishea produces riots is up for discussion," he said. "We need to be careful. For our purposes, the best learning occurs when we compare events in similar settings."

©Ames Tribune 2004

TheOmahaChannel.com

ISU Suspends VEISHEA For 1 Year

Task Forces Look At Future Of Student Event After Riots

Diane Kockler, Staff Writer

POSTED: 1:13 p.m. EDT April 27, 2004
UPDATED: 1:14 p.m. EDT April 27, 2004

AMES, Iowa -- For the first time since 1922, the student celebration VEISHEA will be suspended for a year.

In a news conference Tuesday morning, Iowa State University President Gregory Geoffroy said the future of the annual event must be seriously reviewed after riots broke out in the early morning hours of April 18. Violence has also broken out among crowds during previous VEISHEA celebrations.

"Such violence and destruction simply can't be tolerated," Geoffroy said.

Geoffroy said VEISHEA will be suspended in 2005 while a task group reviews the causes that led up to this year's riots. The group will also form recommendations to improve relations between ISU students and the Ames community. The task forces will include Geoffroy, the ISU student body president and Ames Mayor Ted Tedesco.

The task forces will give their report in November, and then Geoffroy will decide if VEISHEA will continue in 2006.

"We have to recognize the risk we assume in continuing VEISHEA, the risk involving the safety of students, the well-being of staff and community, and the reputation of the university, which affects student recruitment and state funding," Geoffroy said. Do you agree with Iowa State's decision to suspend VEISHEA for 2005 because of this year's riots?Yes, suspend the event.No, VEISHEA should continue.

Geoffroy has said canceling the event is an option.

Last week, students complained police were overly aggressive in their riot tactics, which included using pepper spray and tear gas. Other students said they were innocent bystanders caught up in the riot.

Police and ISU announced Friday that the Iowa attorney general's office will review complaints against law enforcement.

Nearly 40 people were arrested in connection with the riots, and police are analyzing videotape and photographs to file other charges.

Riot footage leads to another arrest

By Jason Kristufek, Staff Writer

May 04, 2004

An Illinois man turned himself into police this morning and was arrested on accusations he caused more than $2,000 in damage to a Campustown business during the April 18 riot.

An Illinois man turned himself into police this morning and was arrested on accusations he caused more than $2,000 in damage to a Campustown business during the April 18 riot.
Kevin Caho, 22, of Port Byron, Ill., was arrested and charged with second-degree criminal mischief. He was being held on $9,750 bond.
Ames police say a video obtained from the public allegedly shows Caho throwing a rock at the Blimpie Subs and Salads store in the 200 block of Welch Avenue.
Caho is the third person identified and arrested by police from videotape and photographs taken during the riot. Ames and Iowa State University police have arrested more than 40 people on riot-related offenses.
Caho is charged with a Class D felony, punishable by up to five years in jail and a fine of up to $7,500.
Ames Police Department Cmdr. Jim Robinson anticipates additional arrests will be made. Anyone who can offer assistance in identifying those involved in the vandalism is asked to contact police at 239-5133. Staff writer Jason Kristufek can be reached at 232-2161, Ext. 344, or by e-mail at jkristufek@amestrib.com

Task forces get new problems

By Rebecca A. Petersen, Staff Writer

May 05, 2004

Officials: More studies of Veishea celebration needed

Despite repeated violence, Iowa State University 's student-run celebration appears to have nine lives.
After riots in 1992, a task force recommended the elimination of the Veishea celebration if violence once again erupted during the spring fling. There were riots in 1994, a murder in 1997 and street rioting again last month.
ISU administrators responded to the latest riot by forming two task forces aimed at curbing the violence that has plagued the country's largest student-run celebration.
ISU President Greg Geoffroy also suspended Veishea for one year while the two task forces examine the underlying causes of the riots and the relationship between students and the community.
Officials say there is a need for another round of studies - even though at least three other task forces have convened and offered final reports following Veishea violence in 1988, 1992 and 1997. Those task forces resulted in new city ordinances and changes to student involvement in Veishea.
ISU and Ames officials say another look is needed because the 2004 riots were induced by alcohol but ended up being more about violence as they continued into a fourth hour.
"While the end results were the same, the circumstances are not the same," said Tom Hill, ISU's vice president for student affairs.
Officials suggest the problem could be as deep as student resentment with local residents over city ordinances that affect the student body.
"I think we may be focusing too much on Veishea itself," said Ames City Manager Steve Schainker, who served on the 1988 task force. "The issue is broader."
Geoffroy's task forces are to issue reports in November. Members include student government president Sophia Magill and Ames Mayor Ted Tedesco.
After 1998's Veishea continued with a ban on alcohol in all university buildings, fraternities and sororities, another task force recommended that it continue.
"The problem is not Veishea. It's what goes on around Veishea," said Warren Madden, an ISU vice president who was on the first committee to examine Veishea violence in 1988.
Students - drunk and sober - lined the streets of Campustown on April 18. They threw bricks at police, smashed windows and tore down light poles.
The violence took many by surprise. After six years without violence, police had limited their patrols. And the official Veishea committee reduced its student security force in half.
"I think we need to take the time to do this type of analysis and study," Madden said.
What may separate the 2004 task force from previous editions is the two groups will not focus specifically on the combination of alcohol and Veishea.
They'll also look at how Veishea violence has become a tradition in parts of the student body.
Each previous Veishea task force had elements that made it unique: The 1988 group tried to find solutions to teenagers who drank with older crowds. The 1992 task force suggested changes to the Veishea planning committee to include more students. The 1998 task force recommended an emphasis on students, alumni and local residents to deter out-of-towners from using Veishea as an excuse to come to Ames and party.

Staff writer Rebecca A. Petersen can be reached
at 232-2161, Ext. 348 or by e-mail at rpetersen@amestrib.com

Recommendations from previous Veishea task forces

1988 Task Force Recommendations
City should upgrade street lighting along Welch Avenue.
City's parks and recreation department should provide alternative activities for high school students.
Theater owners should provide more movies that aren't R-rated in areas other than Campustown.
Veishea committee should promote activities between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.
ISU should open State Gym, Beyer Hall and tennis courts until midnight during Veishea.
Encourage rental property owners to limit party activity within their buildings.
Encourage police to cultivate a positive relationship with young people.
Explore the possibility of letting underage people into bars.
Revise keg ordinance so that only two kegs can be tapped at once.
Create city ordinance to prohibit the sale of carry-out alcohol after 1 a.m.

1992 Task Force Recommendations
Schedule Veishea events later into the night.
Hold events at various locations to diffuse number of people gathering one spot.
Expand Veishea planning committee so it's less orientated to Greek system.
Require Veishea committee to submit plan to then President Martin Jischke on how to increase student involving in the preparation and execution of events.
Hold classes the Friday before Veishea. Classes traditionally were cancelled that day.
Hold event in mid-April instead of early May to alleviate the image of Veishea as "the last blowout before finals."
Eliminate Veishea if there are disturbances on the scale of those in 1988 and 1992.

1998 Task Force Recommendations
Continue Veishea as an alcohol free event.
Offer alternative events.
Begin Veishea planning earlier in the year.
Increase peer security.
Promote Veishea as more of a family event, stressing an emphasis on the Cyclone family (those associated with the university) to deter out-of-towners using Veishea as an excuse to come to Ames and party.
Provide more promotion to Cyclone athletic events, like the spring football game, that occur during Veishea weekend.
Improve the Veishea Web site.

2004, 2005 Task force mandates from ISU President Greg Geoffroy
Assess the underlying causes of this year's disturbance and develop recommendations for minimizing the likelihood of similar disturbances in the future whether they're associated with Veishea, athletic celebrations or other events.
Develop recommendations for improving the relationship between students, the university, the city of Ames and residents.