Rather Hall scuffle requires response

After a few days off for Thanksgiving, many students see these next three weeks as a sprint to the finish, eager for the rest and relaxation that comes with a longer semester break.

But after the events of last week, it’s pretty likely that no one is looking forward to the long break more than MSU’s athletic and public relations departments.

Last Sunday, a group of men charged into a Rather Hall lounge and reportedly assaulted several students participating in an Iota Phi Theta potluck. Two of the men were identified by witnesses as MSU football players. On Tuesday afternoon, MSU football head coach Mark Dantonio released a statement dismissing sophomore running back Glenn Winston and junior safety Roderick Jenrette from the team for a “violation of team rules,” an incredibly vague explanation considering the circumstances.

As of press time, no official statement about the incident had been issued by University Relations or MSU police, and the initial statement by Dantonio was insufficient, effectively resulting in a week of silence by all organizations involved. Some might argue MSU might not have wanted to come out with a statement so close to Thanksgiving, but we just can’t see how sitting on information helps the university’s image in any way.

But this, of course, is nothing new. MSU doesn’t exactly have a great track record in releasing information, especially when that information concerns student safety. In 2006, three men assaulted three victims in a South Hubbard Hall dorm room and MSU police were reluctant to release police reports associated with the incident. Withholding information from the public, especially when that information directly impacts the safety and livelihood of students, is completely unacceptable.

Although neither Winston nor Jenrette has been convicted, both players’ removal comes awfully close to the Rather Hall scuffle. This is especially noteworthy considering Winston has had previous run-ins with the law. And a statement released by Iota Phi Theta’s International Headquarters does all but name Winston as the perpetrator.

Last year, Winston was engaged in a fight with MSU hockey players that resulted in the hospitalization of junior defenseman A.J. Sturges. Winston ended up serving 180 days in jail, but just hours after he was released, Dantonio reinstated Winston to the team. He later said, “(Winston) needs to have somebody to support him, and I try and support our players in that regard.”

We can’t know the exact reasons why Dantonio reinstated Winston on the team in the first place, but all evidence points to this being a big mistake. Assaulting anyone is an inexcusable offense, and Dantonio and the MSU football program can’t run the risk of looking like they support Winston and Jenrette’s alleged actions. They must do more than keep quiet about their actions — they have to openly denounce them.

With all due respect to students engaged in extracurriculars, MSU is more than just a “student activity.” Football is a huge source of revenue for the university, and by their actions on and off the field, the football players represent MSU to the entire nation. Many student-athletes are privileged to receive generous scholarships from the university for their athletic talents, and to abuse that privilege by engaging in criminal behavior is inexcusable.

We hold our student-athletes, coaches, law enforcement officials and administrators to very high standards. But it’s clear, at least so far, that those involved in this ordeal are not living up to such standards, whether it be by engaging in assault, or covering it up. It’s high time university relations, MSU police, and the athletics department come clean, admit what happened and deal with it properly.