Senior E.Z. Smith and junior Mike Sothern both claimed responsibility for the Jan. 29 incident in which arrows were shot through a residence hall wall. Both individuals will be allowed to complete their current semester coursework before beginning the expulsion from Penn State that will run through the end of summer classes.
This sanction from Penn State's Office of Judicial Affairs includes the removal of Smith and Sothern from the Penn State football team effective immediately. Sothern also will be removed from his on-campus residence no later than Wednesday, April 13; Smith resides
off-campus.
Both students would be eligible to return to the University at the start of the 2005 fall semester, pending verification that they have
paid for the damage to the apartment. Their athletic status at that time would be at the discretion of the head coach.
During the expulsion period, neither individual is permitted on a Penn State campus for any reason.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that protects the privacy of student records. Under the provisions of FERPA, the University is prohibited from sharing information about judicial affairs proceedings and sanctions for code of conduct infractions of a non-violent nature.
If you are interested, you can read U.S. Education Department information about FERPA at the following Web address:
http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html