Castleton State College officials say the campus investigation of six members of their football team allegedly involved in a scheme to steal merchandise from a Dick’s Sporting Goods store in Rutland should wrap up by Thursday. The college will then decide what if any disciplinary hearings are warranted.
“What we’re trying to decide is if their behavior - as we know it - affects the operations or the relationship to the community of the college,” says Dennis Prouix, Castleton’s Dean of Students.
Last week, 19-year old George Andrew Busharis was cited after leaving the sporting goods store with merchandise he did not have a receipt for.
According to police reports, Busharis told investigators that he and 21-year-old Brandon Boyle, who worked at the store, had collaborated to steal merchandise on several occasions.
College officials announced a few days later that four other members of the football team were involved as well. All six have been suspended indefinitely from the team.
Vermont State police say their investigation of Busharis and Boyle is ongoing, and court dates for the two men have been set for October.
But they say college officials have not released the names of the other four students allegedly involved.
Prouix says because the students don’t pose a threat to the community, the college must follow federal privacy laws.
“We’re going to need to have a subpoena from the courts to say that we need to provide that,” he explains. “I’m up against a student’s rights on our campus as a student - and their rights as a citizen. We have two parallel investigations going on - both with a different threshold for outcomes and both considering limitations of rights - one on a college campus, which I think we can agree is less important than their rights for jail time or some other sanctions through the courts.”
Prouix says if the students are found guilty during campus disciplinary hearings, they could face penalties ranging from probation, temporary suspension, assorted sanctions and behavior recommendations or dismissal.
