College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

• Live from Gilman Hall

• VEISHEA wouldn't be VEISHEA without SCUM.

• VEISHEA to many means cherry pies, Saturday's parade and displays on Central Campus.
  
  To a dedicated group of chemistry undergraduate majors, VEISHEA is all about SCUM.
  
  For the uninformed, SCUM is the Society of Chemistry Undergraduate Majors and they like to blow things up. Every year, the student organization gives educational demonstrations on chemistry to local elementary schools.
  
  Then there's VEISHEA. Oh, the demonstrations are still a part of the "act." But in many ways, the demonstrations are just an excuse to dress up in funny costumes, tell a lot of jokes and somehow put on a show.
  
  "This is like Halloween dress up for us," said Blake Schnell, a senior chemical engineering major and SCUM president. "We get to act like someone else for a few minutes.
  
  "The VEISHEA show is a chance to do something different and show our creative side."
  
  And you never know who will be in a SCUM VEISHEA production. George W. Bush could make an appearance. Then again so could Harry Potter, Luke Skywalker or Spiderman.
  
  There's a good chance this year John Wayne and Clint Eastwood will be in the show, entitled "How the West was SCUM."
  
  "The hardest part is fitting in our demos and still keep it so that the flow of the show makes sense," said Tim Kuntz, a sophomore chemistry major.
  
  Early each spring semester, a mass brainstorming session is held among the SCUM membership. Schnell says they throw out "any and every idea" and then they see which ones will work in the show and those that don't.
  
  In past years, the audience members don't seem to mind if the show makes sense or not. An overflow audience crowds into the auditorium (room 1002) in Gilman Hall for performances at 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. on VEISHEA Saturday (this year it's April 21). The show is so popular that unless you are there at least 30 minutes early the chance of getting a seat is poor.
  
  "We have to turn people away at the door," Kuntz said.
  
  So this year, an additional show has been added at 7 p.m. on Friday (April 20) night.
  
  Those in attendance will see a somewhat different show this year.
  
  "It's always different," Schnell says. "Each year we find a way to make it a little different so people will come back again."

Ames, Iowa 50011, (515) 294-4111. Published by: University Relations, online@iastate.edu. Copyright © 1995-2004, Iowa State University of Science and Technology. All rights reserved.

Non-Discrimination Statement and Information Disclosures

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Ames, Iowa 50011-1302

General Information: (515) 294-7740

Academic Advising: (515) 294-4831

Email: las@iastate.edu

Michael Whiteford - Dean

Bret Larwick - Director of Technology

Dave Gieseke - Director of Communications