Apple in town?
statenews.com | 2/25/14 | @thesnews Michigan State University’s independent voice
Apple Inc. issued building permit in Eastwood campus+city, pG. 3
NAISO honors heritage with Powwow Bangor, Mich., resident Greg Morsaw wears a regalia bustle Saturday at the Powwow of Love Erin HAmpton/The State News
features, pG. 5
feds probe msu for sexual assault misconduct By Olivia Dimmer odimmer@statenews.com THE STATE NEWS nn
T he U.S. Department of Education revealed Monday it is investigating complaints about MSU’s handling of sexual assault accusations, a fact that university officials successfully kept quiet until now. On Friday, university officials sent a letter via email to the MSU community announcing what they described as sev-
eral new events aimed at educating students, faculty and staff about sexual assault prevention. In the letter, Paulette Granberry Russell, a senior advisor to MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon and the university’s Title IX coordinator, acknowledged “there is more that we can do to educate the MSU community on sexual violence.” Near the bottom of the letter was a single sentence stating that the university is “collab-
“MSU responded fully and appropriately to the incident under investigation ... We look forward to continue working with the OCR on this matter.” Kent Cassella, MSU spokesman
orating” with the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, or OCR, to “give members of the campus community an opportunity” to meet with representatives from the department.
But on Monday, Department of Education spokesman Jim Bradshaw told The State News the planned visit to campus is directly related to an official investigation into sexual harassment and violence
complaints pending against the university. Although details of the complaints are a mystery for now — neither the Department of Education nor MSU would provide insight into the nature or reach of the allegations — university officials were quick to defend their overall handling of sexual assault accusations. It’s not yet clear whether the investigation could prove to be a liability for Simon, who just last week publicly addressed
COURT
False alarm of man with gun at Bessey scares student body By Emily Jenks ejenks@statenews.com THE STATE NEWS nn
Marketing senior Matthew Martin didn’t know true panic before he got an alert telling him a man with a gun was walking toward the hall he was taking a class in. Martin was on the first floor of Bessey Hall in a general business law class of about 30 students when a fellow student
Students react to gunman alert on social media, pg. 4
Erin Hampton/THE STATE NEWS
uate of Saline High. The first charge, felony murder, is punishable for up to life in prison without parole. Armed robbery carries life for any term of years. The final charge, conspir-
raised her hand and notified their professor of the alert. Shortly afterward, “a police officer came in 20 seconds later and told us to shut the blinds, shut the doors and turn off the lights,” Martin said. “You haven’t panicked until a cop with an M-16 tells your class to get on the ground,” he later tweeted. T hou s a nd s of s t ude nt s received the alert from the university Monday afternoon warning them of the man with a gun allegedly seen walking to Bessey Hall. Soon after, another alert was sent informing students
See FROLKA on page 2 u
See ALERT on page 2 u
Three suspects arraigned for murder of Dustyn Frolka skonkel@statenews.com THE STATE NEWS nn
ST. JOHNS, Mich. — Three minors now face felony charges for allegedly robbing and murdering MSU student Dustyn Frolka. Samantha Grigg, 17, Brendan
Heim, 16, and Tyrel Bredernitz, 17, were arraigned in 65th District Court in St. Johns, Mich., on Monday. They were each charged as adults with felony murder, armed robbery and conspiracy to commit armed robbery, all of which are felony charges. According to court testimo-
ny, the suspects allegedly used brass knuckles while attempting to rob Frolka, who was a marketing sophomore and aspiring musician at the time of his death. Frolka was found partially clothed and in respiratory distress at about 10:30 p.m. on Feb. 15 near the East Lansing
ramp of I-69 in Bath Township. He was taken to Lansing’s Sparrow Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after. Heim and Grigg both attend Saline High School and are in their junior and senior years, respectively. Bredernitz is a recent grad-
men’s basketball
Izzo: Healthy Spartans will compete better Senior guard Keith Appling guards Michigan guard Nik Stauskas Sunday at Crisler Center. The Spartans fell to the Wolverines, 79-70. — Erin Hampton, SN
See the story on page 6
See FEDS on page 2 u
a l e rt
Saline, Mich., resident Samantha Grigg responds to the judge as she is read her charges Monday during her and two other suspects’ arraignments at 65th District Court in St. Johns, Mich. Grigg, along with the two other suspects, was not present in the court proceedings and was broadcast for the court over television.
By Sara Konkel
“destructive” behavior among students, including sexual violence. Granberry Russell said investigators will examine whether MSU’s processes for handling sexual assault follow federal guidelines. She insisted MSU leaders are doing everything in their power to address the problem. A university spokesman said MSU officials are fully cooper-
punishment
Student sentenced to 45 days in jail for civil disturbance charges By Geoff Preston gpreston@statenews.com THE STATE NEWS nn
For the most of the students implicated and arrested in the post-Big Ten championship game civ il disturbance, the punishment has been a f i ne a nd a m a rk on their record. For mater iRoe al science and engineering junior Justin Paul Roe, the night holds much more significance. Roe, 20, was sentenced to 45 days in Ingham County Jail following charges of kindling a fire, unlawful assembly and remaining within 300 feet of a fire without the intent to put it out. The sentence serves as part of a plea agreement that will allow Roe to continue to attend school while he is incarcerat-
ed. Depending on the day and his class schedule, Roe will be allowed to leave to attend classes and work as a career peer at the Center for Spartan Engineering.
Roe was convicted of kindling a fire, unlawful assembly and remaining within 300 feet of a fire without putting it out In addition to jail time, Roe will be forced to pay $542 in fines and costs and $458 in restitution. He will serve his time instead of being prohibited from attending MSU or any other public Michigan college for one year. The original sentence was set for 30 days, but was changed to 45 days to accommodate time outside the facility to attend classes and work. Roe also was a for mer ASMSU representative for the See SENTENCE on page 2 u