The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1913-11-06
SUPPORT
FACULTY IN RECENT
HAzNG EPISODE
Say Vermilion Students
Guilty OF Unbecom-
ing Conduct.
TILL JANUARY
Suspension Culprits Short
ened to End of Semester
Case IS Reviewed.
OUT TILL JANUARYo

/, Vermillion, $. D.-Rcfusing to ac-
cept the settlement of the difficulty
yersity and The student body, which
would permit the five men recently
suspended to return to their studies
ON January u, the students have can
celed the football game scheduled Ia
} take place with the North Dakota
university team mt WATERFOWL Nov
eInber q and are threatening other
official university publication.
Members of the Junior class de-
clared also, that they would not Issue
the nua number of the Coyote, the
official university publication.
Complete approval of the action of
the faculty of the University of
South Dakota in suspending five stu
dents for their part in a .hazing epi-
sode, was voted by the state board
of regents after a complete investi-
cation of the case. The findings of
fact of the regents we're made public
today by President A. Il. Hitchcock.
Although the regents found that
the faculty was warranted in disci-
plining the refractory members of
the student body, it was stated that
lowing to .extenuating circumstances
in favor of the students, the welfare
of the institution and the discipline
of the student body would be better
%subserved by modifying the faculty's
sentence and suspending the culprits
for the remainder of the semester.
The quintette of offenders will be
permitted to resume their students
on January 6, 1914.
After reviewing the facts in the
case, which were that III. j. Miller, a
member of the freshman class, was
taken forcibly from his room on the
night of October Sth and mildly tor
tured because of refusal to obey GER
tain restrictions and regulations laid
down for lower class men, the regents
made the following statement:
"The institution for a number OF
years has had a custom in vogue of
holding, during the first week of the
fall semester, a public initiation of
freshmen, by which the freshmen are
commanded TO appear a certain night
npon the campus and to submit to
certain forms of regulation we'll
known to University students, and
which are to a large extent submitted
to by the freshmen and by all con
| M Will" Io SlNr III 6ooN
spirit. 1t has been the general UNI
~derstanding of members of the fac
ulty OF the institution that this public
Imitation was consented to by the in
stitution and taken part in by the
students in lieu of the secret hazing,
which has been INDUCED in to some
extent in past years in the institution.
However 1t appears that this public
Initiation did not do away entirely
with secret hazing, but that secret
hazing had been INDUCED in by some
of the students from time to time,
but hat no episodes of as serious a
/ character as the one in question had
8 come to the knowledge of the univer-
sity authorities for many years.
This episode of an attack uDo a
freshman by the stuoents coming to
the knowledge of the deans OF the
university the next day, for the pur-
pose of investigating and ascertain
ing those concerned in the transac-
EtionS eight students were brought be-
fore the deans and an examination
was made, by questions and answers,
relating to the affair. The examina-
ton was reduced to writing by a
stenographer, his notes We're trans
Icribed, and the transcript was made
la part of the record of the hearing
of this cause. 1t appears that in the
Investigation of these eight students
by the deans that questions We're ask
led by the deans which referred to
1.-THE fact that this transaction was a
;. serious n in the minds of the deans,
and that, If persisted in by any stu
dents, would bring %disrepute upon the
university in the state, and also there
would be a liability of personal in
Jury to the students and also h a the
statutory laws of the state We're be-
:, ing violated by such conduct. Among
the eight students examined at this
time were the Ave students who were
afterwards suspended and who are
now called the defendants"
: The regents also a~scertained that
two days after the first episode and
the warning Of the faculty that the
offense was a serious one, a second
attempt was made to haze the same
student. He could not be found and
another student. who was believed to
. know his whereabouts, was followed
to the home of Dean Lommen. Here
the hazers assembled and cut the tele-
phone wires, finally being dispersed
! by. the police. Five of the eight stu
dents who had been called before the
faculty previously admitted their par
ticipation in the second affair and
on October 18th were suspended for
the balance of the school year.
From these findings of fact. the
regents unanimously determined:
"First--That the offense of the
students involved was such that the
faculty of the university was justified
in infiicting a punishment therefor,
in that the acts complained of were
a violation of the unwritten code of
the university for many years that
all students who attended the univer-
sity should conform to the rules of
conduct by which all gentlemen and
good citizens abide.
Second-That owing to extenuating
circumstances in favor of the stu
dents appearing at the hearing. the
regents conclude that the best inter-
ests of the university, the welfare of
the student defendants. and the disci-
pine of the student body at large will