Although MSU’s basketball season and the gatherings which followed are over, the repercussions for the 20 people arrested are not, with the university considering disciplinary action for students charged, an MSU spokesman said.
"(Disciplinary action) is something that the university, it’s safe to say, would pursue,” MSU spokesman Jason Cody said. “I do think it’s safe to say the university is going to look at student violations (that occurred during the post-game gatherings).”
Whether the university does take punitive measures on students involved in the disturbances will remain unknown to the public, Cody said, as a federal law protects students from having their education records released by the university.
The toolbox of disciplinary actions available to the university includes probation, suspension and expulsion, among others, he said. But there is no standard treatment, as all cases are reviewed and handled individually.
So far five of the 20 people arrested at the gatherings have been arraigned, and charges have not been dropped against the rest, East Lansing police Lt. Steve Gonzalez said.
The charges range from unlawfully remaining within 300 feet of an open fire to wrongfully propelling objects at police and others in the area, according to East Lansing police statements.
The turnout and intensity of the gathering in Cedar Village after MSU’s Final Four loss was significantly lower than celebrations the weekend prior, which saw several fires, flying bagels and crowds nearing 750 people.
Law enforcement in the area stepped up their efforts Saturday, ramping up police presence throughout East Lansing and positioning floodlights and police in riot gear in Cedar Village before the game’s end.
Comparatively, the night resulted in little excitement at Cedar Village, with police arresting seven out of a crowd of an estimated 125, according to an East Lansing police statement.
Some arrested had thrown fruits and vegetables. Police quickly intervened after someone pelted a passing news van with a lemon.
Elsewhere in East Lansing, at least 10 fires were set.
“After the Final Four game, we were extremely pleased that it was overall celebratory in nature,” Gonzalez said. ”(There were) a few individuals that tried to take it in a negative direction, but we were very happy with how things went this weekend.”
