September 10, 2004
Fifteen students disciplined
for Veishea weekend
behavior
by Annette Hacker
Iowa State University has taken disciplinary action against
15 students who were involved in the April 18 riot that occurred in the
Campustown area of Ames.
"We worked very hard to identify students whose conduct was unacceptable
and inappropriate for Iowa State and the Ames community, and applied
appropriate disciplinary action in each case," said Iowa State University
President Gregory Geoffroy. "The destruction of property and threats to
public safety just cannot be tolerated."
In four of the cases, the students were expelled or suspended from Iowa
State. In the other 11 cases, students were given deferred suspensions or
were placed on conduct probation.
A deferred suspension means that, if a student is found responsible for
any further violations of the Student Conduct Code or an order of a
judiciary body, suspension may be immediately imposed. Conduct probation is
a more severe sanction than a disciplinary reprimand. It is a period of
review in which a student must demonstrate the ability to comply with
university rules, regulations and other requirements stipulated for the
probation period.
In addition to sanction outcomes, students involved in the judicial
process have a disciplinary file on record for a period of seven years.
Students who are suspended or expelled from Iowa State receive a notation on
their transcripts indicating disciplinary action has been taken.
The Office of Judicial Affairs, part of the Dean of Students Office at
Iowa State, imposed the discipline. In addition to the 15 cases resulting
in disciplinary action, three others were reviewed. No action was taken in
two of the cases, and another is pending.
Because of federal law protecting the privacy of students, names of the
students involved are not released.
Student conduct rules at Iowa State cover both on- and off-campus
conduct, and disciplinary actions ordered by the Office of Judicial Affairs
are independent of actions taken in the civil and criminal courts.
"The goal on April 18 was to prevent injury and bring the disturbance
under control," Dean of Students Pete Englin said. "When practical, law
enforcement worked to identify those involved in illegal and destructive
behavior. In many cases, officers were able to cite students and others who
were involved and document evidence against them. Disciplinary action was
pursued in cases involving Iowa State students. The outcome of these cases
demonstrates that there are significant consequences for students who engage
in riot behaviors."
The violence following ISU's annual Veishea celebration resulted in more
than $100,000 in public and private property damage. Nine days after the
disturbance, President Geoffroy suspended Veishea for 2005.
