Contact: Joe Farris
Mississippi State University will hold campus judicial hearings for students charged with code of conduct violations following their arrests in connection with vandalism at an Oktibbeha County hog farm.
The four students were arrested Tuesday by sheriff's deputies following an investigation into April 25 and May 1 vandalism at the Bill Cook farm in the Oktoc community. Campus disciplinary proceedings are independent of off-campus criminal proceedings in the case, said MSU Dean of Students Mike White, who is coordinating the proceedings.
Charged by the university with violating the Code of Student Conduct are: freshmen Christina S. Jordan and Brooke K. Patterson, and seniors Jack G. Bartlett and Helen D. Jackson. All four have Starkville addresses.
Campus judicial hearings will be scheduled as soon as possible and held within the next 10 days, White said. If found guilty of conduct violations, the students would be subject to suspension or other appropriate sanctions.
"We will not tolerate serious misconduct by our students that is harmful to the campus or the community," said Roy H. Ruby, vice president for student affairs.
The university also will begin an immediate investigation into any connection between the hog farm vandalism and Students Concerned About Protecting the Environment (SCAPE), Ruby said.
SCAPE, one of approximately 300 registered MSU student organizations, has been mentioned by sheriff's investigators in connection with the incidents.
"We will talk with the organization's faculty adviser and president and attempt to determine whether the group had any role in this matter," Ruby said. The penalty for organizational misconduct may include suspension of registration, which would preclude use of the university's name or facilities.