SEMO releases penalties for participants in hazing incident

Southeast Missouri State University's football team will perform community service as punishment for involvement in an April hazing incident.

The university's Office of Student Conduct on Wednesday handed down probation and an order to complete a written research assignment on university hazing cases in addition to between 15 and 25 hours of community service for eight players.

The severity of penalties range depending on their involvement in the incident, according to a university news release. Southeast's head football coach, Tony Samuel, also assigned 20 hours of community service to each of the eight players, and the entire team will be required to perform 10 hours of community service to raise awareness of hazing issues and the university's student and athletic student conduct policies.

Southeast officials called hazing by anyone for any purpose unacceptable the week after a player reported to the university's Department of Public Safety that several players had their arms, legs and mouths duct-taped by their teammates in the locker room and were carried out onto Houck Stadium field. The incident happened after an early morning team practice April 13. Once on the field, the players tried to extricate themselves from the tape and were helped by their teammates, according to a release issued by the university.

Diane Sides, assistant to Southeast president Ken Dobbins, said by phone Wednesday there would be no comment by the university on whether officials are satisfied with the punishment players received. Sides also said she did not anticipate the university would release any more information or related comments. The names of the students involved have not been released publicly; the university has cited protection for students' identities under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

Hazing is a violation of the university's code of student conduct and athletic student code of conduct. It is also against the law in Missouri. Hazing is defined in the university's conduct code as any physical activity -- such as sleep deprivation, exposure to the elements, confinement or calisthenics -- that subjects a student to risk of harm, or that adversely affects the mental or physical health or safety of a student.

The university's Department of Public Safety referred the case to the Cape Girardeau County prosecuting attorney's office, which declined to file charges. The case then went to the university's Office of Student Conduct to determine actual occurrence of the incident and punishments for the students involved. For hazing, penalties range from probation to expulsion.

April's incident brings the number of cases at Southeast where hazing has been reported and found to have actually occurred to five in the past six years. Six other incidents involving hazing were alleged during that period, but no actual violations were found, according to Dennis Holt, the university's dean of students.

A violent hazing incident that killed a student resulted in national attention for Southeast in 1994. Michael Davis, 19, died after being beaten by members of the fraternity he was pledging. An annual lecture is now held at the university to honor his memory, and officials say education to prevent hazing is prevalent among Southeast's student organizations, including its athletic teams.

Sides said in an earlier interview that although the university already has extensive education on hazing prevention in place, there would still be efforts to increase it following the football team incident. During Wednesday's call, Sides said Samuel would decide in what manner the 10 hours of community service assigned to all team members would be performed. She also said Samuel would likely do that in consultation with the university's athletic director, Mark Alnutt. Samuel did not return a call seeking comment after a message was left on his cellphone late Wednesday afternoon.

Southeast's conduct code for student athletes states the athletic department and coaches reserve the right to implement additional sanctions if students are found to commit violations. It also says a whole team will be held responsible and disciplinary action will be taken if any standards are violated during a team function and there is no clear evidence that the team attempted any restraining action through its members.

eragan@semissourian.com

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