The University of Minnesota is following in the footsteps of MSU after its Board of Regents on Friday approved an expansive riot policy.

The new policy allows Minnesota officials to punish students who incite or take part in a riot off-campus. Before the measure was adopted, Minnesota students could only be disciplined if their actions took place on campus.

The MSU Board of Trustees passed a similar policy in 2000, after 7,000 students took to the streets of East Lansing after the men's basketball team lost to Duke in the 1999 Final Four. During the March 28-30, 2003 disturbances, basketball games again offset more than 3,000 students to run to the streets, causing $40,000 in damages on campus and in the city.

Minnesota officials said the specific policy needed to be in place to deter students from participating in reckless behaviors.

"We believe it's important to set a clear standard to have our students uphold," said Lakeesha Ransom, a Board of Regents member at the University of Minnesota. "We will continue to take steps to reduce the likelihood (of a riot)."

The policy is a reaction to the April 12-13 riot after the university's hockey team won the national championship. About 2,000 people ran through the Twin Cities destroying property, which resulted in $150,000 in damages.

Twelve students who participated in University of Minnesota's April 12-13 riots have been charged under the student conduct code and one student has been expelled. Seven were charged with felonies and two of these students have plead guilty.

Students at University of Minnesota say officials have a right to discipline people who don't act appropriately.

"They should get expelled," said Alyssa Johnson, an architecture senior at University of Minnesota. "The whole of students at (Minnesota) were embarrassed."

MSU officials say it is the duty of the university to set guidelines for students to follow in neighboring communities.

"We all hope that these issues related to athletic events would abate and it does not seem to be the case," MSU Interim President Lou Anna Simon said.

"Therefore, institutions are put in the position to find ways to more formally deter said actions."

Simon said the policies relating to student behavior need to be coupled with strong leadership from administrative officials and other students to stop the problem.

"Nationwide, communities and universities don't want their degrees devalued by a few," she said.

Trustee Dee Cook says MSU students need to be aware of the policy starting with their arrival at the Academic Orientation Program.

"We have a responsibility to care about our students," she said. "I know Minnesota was very unhappy with what happened there.

"I think they finally reached the saturation point that they owed it to respond."

But introducing sweeping riot policies is an alarming trend, said Henry Silverman, ACLU Lansing chapter president.

It is not the responsibility of the university to punish students who are already facing criminal charges, he said.

"It's a double punishment," he said. "It's the wrong solution for a problem that needs to be addressed."

Although alcohol consumption and riotous behavior are issues universities should work on combating, policies such as these do not deter students from taking part in these activities, Silverman said.

"It hits the after-effect, not the real problem," he said.

Stephanie Korneffel can be reached at korneff2@msu.edu.