Iowa State University lacrosse team punished for parking outside marijuana dispensary

The Iowa State University lacrosse team is in hot water after a picture surfaced of a university vehicle parked outside of a marijuana dispensary in Colorado.

The school revoked the team's travel privileges as a result of that and another incident in which the president was ticketed for speeding in a university vehicle. One advocacy group says the club did no wrong.

Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a student rights group in Philadelphia also known as FIRE, wrote a letter to Iowa State asking the school to restore the team's privileges, claiming the students were never given a chance to explain why the vehicle was parked outside of a dispensary. It has asked the university to reinstate the team's privileges.

Michael Norton, the school's general counsel and chief risk officer, responded with a letter to FIRE on Friday. He said the team only was punished for speeding, not the photo, though a university email to the lacrosse team about its privileges referenced both incidents.

"It does not appear that FIRE has a full and correct understanding of the facts associated with the incident referenced in your correspondence," Norton's letter reads. "Most critically, contrary to the assertion in the correspondence, neither the lacrosse club nor any club member received any type of penalty or lost any type of privilege because of the picture published on Twitter referred to in your Feb. 3 letter."

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Iowa State University vehicle photographed outside a Colorado dispensary

The Iowa State lacrosse team traveled to Colorado, a state where marijuana is legal, for a game against Air Force in November last year. The team, traveling in a university vehicle, stopped for food.

The restaurant the group chose was next to High Plainz Strains Dispensary. According to FIRE's letter to the school, the Cyclone team members did not enter the dispensary or buy products.

A third party snapped a photo of the school vehicle with the dispensary in the background, which made its way to ISU Barstool's social media. The photo eventually was deleted.

FIRE claims that as a result, on Dec. 8, 2022, Iowa State's Senior Assistant Director of Sports Programs Nathan Pick and Sports Clubs Coordinator Landon Wolfe revoked the team's use of school vehicles until May, according to an email from the university that FIRE published.

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Iowa State says the incident created 'a negative reputation'

In the email, Pick said the photo in Colorado hampered the school's image and was not an ideal representation. But he also highlighted another incident in an email to Iowa State Lacrosse President Max Gula.

Pick said Gula received a speeding ticket while driving a school vehicle from a game on Oct. 23. Pick's email said that an officer clocked the school vehicle traveling "around 100 mph."

"Overall concern in both situations is student compliance with university and sport club policies as well as poor representation and concern for negative reputation for Iowa State University," Pick's email read.

Gula also received a one-game suspension for the spring season, according to Pick's email.

In Iowa State's reply to FIRE, the school explained the dispensary was not the main issue.

"In reality, the lacrosse club and the individual driver of the university vehicle have temporarily lost the privilege of renting vehicles owned and maintained by University Transportation Services solely because of the club’s reckless use of a university vehicle," Norton said in his letter.

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FIRE says nothing in ISU's handbook leads to this suspension

In response to the photo, FIRE said there isn't anything in the school's student handbook or sports club manual that allows Iowa State to punish the team for any "unauthorized actions of a third party." Plus, the "First Amendment protects expression that may embarrass the university," it said.

"ISU has no basis to punish members of the lacrosse team for the constitutionally-protected speech of a third party," FIRE's letter reads. "This fact would have been discovered had the university met its legal obligations to provide these students due process."

FIRE also claims that the school didn't give students a chance to rebuttal to their vehicle suspension.

"It yanked the group’s rental privileges before meeting its legal obligation to notify the students of the specific policies they were alleged to have violated and to give them an opportunity to respond," FIRE's letter reads. "Given the opportunity, the student-athletes would have been able to clarify why the vehicle was parked where it was and that a third party posted the photo without the team’s knowledge."

Iowa State disagreed.

"The ability to rent and use University Transportation Services owned and maintained vehicles is a privilege and not a right," Norton wrote. "The club’s privilege to use university vehicles has been temporarily restricted due to the club’s reckless and dangerous misuse of that privilege. There is no First Amendment and no due process implication associated with the university’s reasonable response to a dangerous driving situation."

The Iowa State lacrosse social media accounts asked in December for donations to help cover expenses

The lacrosse team was told it would have to pay for any charter services if they are to travel for competition between now and May. With the school no longer covering the club's travel expenses, the Cyclone lacrosse Twitter account asked for help.

"Our club has run into increased travel expenditures for the upcoming season," the statement read. "In order to continue providing the same CyLax experience for all of our players and fans, we are asking for your help in dealing with the crisis. We hate to ask, but we are requesting any donations that you can spare to assist in offsetting these new costs. Keep in mind, these donations are tax-deductible. As always, we appreciate the love and support from all of our fans, and we look forward to providing you all with a great season this year."

Gula told the Tribune he agrees with the letter but referred questions to FIRE.

Adam Hensley is a digital producer with the USA Today Network. You can follow him on Twitter @A_Hens83 or reach him at ahensley@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Iowa State lacrosse team punished for parking by marijuana store