Rioters at WVU deserve punishment

West Virginia University officials are meting out sanctions ranging from warnings to… West Virginia University officials are meting out sanctions ranging from warnings to possible expulsions to 40 students involved in mayhem after WVU’s Oct. 22 upset of the then-No. 3 Virginia Tech.

Students rioted in the streets, setting more than 100 reported fires. They also stormed the field, attempting to pull down the goalposts, but were repulsed by police with pepper spray.

The Office of Student Life will notify each student of the charges against him or her in writing. Perpetrators were identified with the help of city, state and university police and firefighters. Charges will include disorderly conduct, public intoxication and illegal burning.

School spirit is a great thing. It’s wonderful to have a student body so obviously attached to their team.

Setting the streets ablaze, however, is antisocial behavior and should not be tolerated. It transcends being true to one’s school, and descends into thuggery and hooliganism. It may seem harsh to prosecute excited fans for celebrating in the street, but a precedent must be set. WVU cannot allow destruction of property and danger to students to occur whenever football gets exciting.

In addition to getting a well-rounded education and having fun, college is a time to learn how to be an adult. Students need to learn to have respect for property – theirs and others – and pride in their hometown, even if it’s only home for four years.

Troublingly, 14 of the students thus far identified are freshmen. These youngsters clearly saw their older classmates indulging in outrageous behavior and figured it was the thing to do. Now, at the beginning of their college careers, they are already facing penalties. It’s a reality check.

The students are lucky in that most of the sanctions will come from the university and not the city. A university warning is small potatoes compared to the potential ramifications of involvement of city police.

Luckily, no major injuries were reported. The possibility of major destruction and physical harm in the face of fires and falling goal posts is huge. However, the use of pepper spray by the police could have also resulted in much harm – but the officers had to do something. It’s a shame they had to resort to pepper spray.

Hopefully, this disciplinary disaster will impress upon students the seriousness of their infractions and will prevent future fires, pepper-sprayings and riots in the streets of Morgantown.