Va. university charges student reporters

HARRISONBURG, Va. — Two university students are facing trespassing and disorderly conduct charges after they entered a campus dormitory to interview students for a news article.

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The Virginia chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists on Tuesday called on James Madison University to drop the 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 its editor in chief.

The university's Office of Judicial Affairs issued the charges after a resident adviser and the Hillside Hall director told them to leave as they interviewed residents about a "Peeping Tom" incident.

University spokesman Don Egle did not immediately return a telephone message seeking comment.