A Texas A&M University at Kingsville student returnednearly 3,000 copies of the school’s newspaper, the South Texan , recentlyafter they were stolen from campus distribution points.
Campus policeChief Sandra Jefferson said an acquaintance of Melissa Diaz, who is the reigningMs. Texas A&M University at Kingsville, took the newspapers to suppress astory about Diaz being charged with contributing to the intoxication of minorsat a party.
“The young man who took them thought he was helping out whenhe wasn’t,” Jefferson said. Jefferson added that Diaz was not considered asuspect and that the school believed that the male student was solelyresponsible.
University officials declined to release the identity of themale student, but Dean of Students David Braverman said the school will sanctionhim for violating its code of conduct.
Nancy Martinez Russell, editor inchief of the South Texan , said Diaz returned the newspapers in the earlyevening of Oct. 2.
“She brought them over here [to the newsroom] at about6 p.m.,” Martinez Russell said. “She just came in and sat down and said,’They’re all in my Jeep.'”
Braverman said the school would likely be morelenient toward the perpetrator because the newspapers were returned.
“Hebrought the newspapers back, you take that into consideration,” Braverman said.”For someone who is taking newspapers, I might have them do community servicefor the newspaper.”
Braverman said that such service could includedelivering newspapers to campus distribution points.
He also said that ifthe student had not returned the newspapers and was caught, the penalty wouldhave been more severe and might have included such penalties as makingrestitution for newspaper costs.
Martinez Russell said the newspaperwould have lost $1,400 in printing costs and $800 in advertising revenue if thestudent had not returned the newspapers.