Fifteen Iowa State University students who were involved in a springtime riot in the Campustown area of Ames have been disciplined by the university. Pete Englin, I-S-U’s Dean of Students, says the actions those 15 students took the night of April 18th were unacceptable and inappropriate. Englin says “if you watched any of the video of the event, common sense would tell you this was not a place to be.” He says “most students chose to leave the scene and went home, but there were large numbers that either stayed or participated” in the riot, and the Dean says “that’s unfortunate.” In general, the 15 disciplined students were found to have destroyed property or threatened the safety of others with their actions that April night during the university’s annual VEISHEA celebration.Englin says university officials believe “students may have been confused” about what punishment might be handed out for participating in a riot, and that’s why the disciplinary actions were made public to make it clear “the consequences can be significant” if students are caught rioting. Four of the students were expelled or suspended from Iowa State. The other 11 were either given deferred suspensions or placed on probation. Englin says police reports were collected, and students who were charged with criminal behavior were immediately put on a list for review. He says since VEISHEA comes toward the end of the spring semester, the cases of other students found to be involved in the rioting were reviewed when the fall semester began. Any student who’s on probation or a deferred suspension can stay on at Iowa State if they stay out of trouble. Others who were expelled can apply to be reinstated, but officials will review each case. University officials say they cannot reveal the names of the students because of federal privacy laws.
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