The 28 MSU students arrested during the riot face the possibility of interim suspension. To be charged, a student’s riot actions must have demonstrated a “clear and present danger” to the community, June said.

“In a general sense, it’s something that endangers the health or a person’s safety,” he said. “It has to be somebody who was committing egregious acts such as setting a fire, or throwing bottles or interfering with police.”

East Lansing police Chief Tom Wibert said Tuesday that East Lansing police and the university wanted to take action against the offenders as soon as possible.

“I think the sooner that justice can be served the closer to the event, the more effective it is,” he said. “I think there are going to be so many cases that will drag on, but we want to get the worst offenders out of the way.”

The university’s judicial process is different than the city of East Lansing’s process, June said, and some students facing charges from MSU might not face charges from the city, or vice versa.

“We have a judicial process that sometimes runs simultaneously with the city, but they’re independent,” he said. “Being charged with violation of (MSU’s) riot policy isn’t necessarily the same thing as a criminal charge.”

June said any students facing interim suspension will have five days to appeal, in accordance with the university’s judicial process set by Student Life. The student would have the choice of having his or her appeal heard before June or a student-faculty judiciary.

“The hearing is solely to determine whether the interim suspension should be continued or lifted,” June said.

Wibert said there has been strong interaction between the city and MSU since the riot occurred.

“Even from the time of the incident, (associate director of Student Life) Rick Shafer and Lee June were out there with us,” Wibert said. “I think right now, the university and the city are on the same page, and we plan on working together in a partnership. I think we’re going to be a good team.”

MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon said the university will act as quickly and fairly as it can, but the real damage already has been done.

“With technology this is a national or a world story,” Simon said. “Images are worth a thousand words. It may take more than a thousand words to blur the effects of that picture.”