MSU administrators look at changes in police policy

MSU administrators now can sanction or suspend students if they commit crimes on campus. School officials also may suspend students if they commit off-campus crimes that present a "clear and present danger" to the community.

Since last weekend, MSU officials have drafted a change that would allow the campus judicial system to try off-campus cases even if they don't meet the "clear and present danger" level, including cases of arson and other felonies, said student affairs spokesperson Marie Hansen.

Off-campus cases would still be tried in the county courts, she said. But the change would give the school more power to crack down on off-campus behavior by suspending students. The university's board of trustees must approve the new policy.

The debate may be especially timely. East Lansing police and MSU officials are on alert as the school's hockey team plays in the NCAA semifinals tonight. Last weekend's riot followed the basketball team's loss in an NCAA semifinal game.

East Lansing police Lt. Kevin Daley said police don't expect much of a disturbance, but have asked officers in East Lansing and surrounding areas to be prepared.

MSU student government Chair Nate Smith-Tyge admitted he was "concerned" about a repeat event tonight, but said many students he has talked to are vowing to crack down on any bad behavior.

Even before last weekend, MSU had considered changing its crime policy. In 1996, the trustees discussed the issue, but the student government opposed changes and the policy remained untouched.

But last weekend's rioting convinced many students that it's time to reconsider. Rioters broke store windows, lit bonfires and burned and overturned cars in East Lansing, where damages have been estimated at more than $100,000.

"This has hurt our university in a way we won't even be able to fully see for a while," Smith-Tyge said.

"Students are pretty much telling us, these kind of people engaged in this kind of asinine behavior should not be at a university."

Still, Smith-Tyge said students are concerned that MSU officials not rush to pass a new policy.

"What form and shape it should take, I don't know. It's a concern that we be fair and judicious," he said.

Daley said the East Lansing police department has supported such a change for a long time.

"The city leaders have always felt (students) are our neighbors, and if they commit something off campus they should be held accountable by the university," he said. "Then you have a greater deterrent for the students coming into East Lansing and acting in the way they do."

The University of Michigan, Purdue University and other Big Ten schools already have policies allowing university discipline for off-campus behavior.

Purdue saw its own students riot Sunday after its women's basketball team won the NCAA championship. In West Lafayette, Ind., any sort of violent behavior that occurs off campus can be punished by the university, as can any behavior considered university-related, no matter where it takes place.

"For example, a party in a Greek house off campus would apply," said Joseph Bennett, Purdue vice president for university relations.

"In general, our penalties apply to activity on campus. But any physical abuse or conduct that threatens someone, whether or not it occurs on university property, comes through our system."

04-01-99