Posted at: 10/27/2009 12:36 PM | WHEC.com
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Va. university charges 2 students for reporting
(AP) HARRISONBURG, Va. - Two university journalists face trespassing and disorderly conduct charges after entering a dorm to interview students.
The Virginia chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists on Tuesday called on James Madison University to drop charges against 21-year-old Tim Chapman and 19-year-old Katie Hibson. It says officials acted "beyond reason."
Hibson is a reporter for The Breeze, the twice-weekly campus newspaper, and Chapman is editor in chief.
The university’s Office of Judicial Affairs issued the charges after a resident adviser and the dorm director told students to leave as they interviewed residents about a "Peeping Tom" incident.
University spokesman Don Egle says the students were free to interview people outside. He says access to dorms is restricted for safety.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
