Six student revelers
continue to await trial
From Staff Reports
Five months after
revelers took to the streets of West Lafayette, some students are still
awaiting trial for their role in the disturbance that followed the April
1 NCAA Women’s Championship Basketball game.
The disturbance,
which resulted in $75,000 of damage in and around campus, led to the
expulsion of 9 students, arrest of 18 and suspension of several more.
"The University
did, as it said it would, take students who had been identified as participating
in the disturbances through the disciplinary process — we’ve
done that," said Purdue president Martin Jischke.
Some of the students
who were identified as participating, were identified through images
posted on the Purdue police Web site, which offered a reward for information
leading to the arrest and conviction of a reveler.
Jeanne Norberg,
director of the University News Service, said she believed no reward
money was actually handed out, though, because no information led to
the arrest and conviction of one person.
It would have had
to be information leading to both to get money, said Norberg.
Of the 18 students
arrested in April, six are still awaiting trial.
The trial of Everett
L. Owen, a freshman last year, who is charged with the manufacture of
an explosive device, was delayed when a motion for a change of venue
was submitted in July, claiming the media coverage surrounding the disturbance
created a prejudicial atmosphere.
According to court
documents, Douglas Meyer of Portland, Ore., Brian Riggs of New Albany,
Ind., and Nicholas Styler of McMurray, Pa., all freshmen last year,
and Sameer Dalal of Bombay, India, and Jon Ilhan of West Lafayette,
both sophomores last year, are all awaiting trial.
Of the convicted
students, most were required to serve a minimum year of probation, serve
up to 160 hours of community service and write letters of apology to
Jischke and each of the five police agencies involved in controlling
the disturbance.
Students who were
responsible for damages were required to pay restitution.
To avoid disturbances
like the one that happened on April 1, the University plans to increase
the prevalence of their "Choices Make Champions" campaign
and stressed the importance of avoiding riot-like incidents to new students
during Boiler Gold Rush, the annual program that welcomes freshmen students
to Purdue.
Jischke said he
hopes the University has continued cause for pride and celebration but
that it needs to be done in a better way.
"I hope those expressions
of pride and celebrations are appropriate to this University in that
we can avoid the kind of disturbance last spring," Jischke said. "I
hope it's clear what the University policy is regarding such disturbances."
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