VEISHEA 2009 Dates Changed
Iowa State University officials and student Veishea organizers have decided to change the date of next year's Veishea celebration.
Veishea 2009 was originally scheduled for March 30 through April 5 -- the earliest dates in the event's history. The new Veishea dates are April 13-19, 2009.
Students, faculty and staff who serve on the Veishea Advisory Committee normally set the event dates years in advance. In selecting the dates, they work around the ISU academic calendar, Greek Week, the Drake Relays in Des Moines, and religious holidays including Easter and Passover. Since 1993, they also have attempted to schedule Veishea well before final exams.
April 13-19 had initially been avoided because the earlier part of the week coincides with Passover.
Seeing limited options other than that week, Vice President for Student Affairs Tom Hill consulted with numerous Jewish leaders on campus, including faculty, staff and members of the student organization ISU Hillel. Hill also spoke with a representative of the Jewish Federation of Greater Des Moines. He asked whether moving Veishea to April 13-19, 2009, would conflict with the Passover observance.
"All the people I spoke with supported our desire to move Veishea, and they assured me it would not be a problem for the Jewish community," Hill said. "I truly appreciated their guidance. That feedback has allowed us to move Veishea to dates that we hope will provide better weather. We are able to respond to the overall university community's needs, and at the same time show proper respect to a religious holiday that is observed by many members of our community."