NMSU review urges new policies on weapons possession, curfew

An internal investigation of New Mexico State released Thursday made a series of recommendations in the wake of a controversial season that included a fatal shooting, a program shutdown amid hazing allegations and the termination of first-year head coach Greg Heiar.

The investigation was commenced by Rodey Law Firm in Albuquerque in November after NMSU forward Mike Peake shot and killed a University of New Mexico student in what police called self-defense.

The firm's report concluded that the school did not commit any legal or NCAA violations. But it did recommend multiple changes to athletics policies, including new rules on team curfews; a more detailed policy prohibiting the possession of weapons while traveling to team events; and guidelines for how coaches and staff should speak with police, especially if an incident occurs off-campus.

«We're sharing this information with our campus community to show our commitment to transparency and to begin working together to implement the recommendations in the report,» school chancellor Dan E. Arvizu said in a memo. «We said from the beginning, if this review highlights opportunities for improvement, we will pursue those. While the report did not identify any failure by the university to meet its legal obligations, we now know we have areas that can be strengthened. We will soon announce a task force that will work closely with the administration and the Board of Regents to address these recommendations.»

State police who investigated the November shooting said Peake had acted in self-defense and did not charge him with any crime. However, he was indefinitely suspended by the program.

Heiar was fired in February, days after school officials announced the cancellation of NMSU's