While Ball State students have the right to have fun on the weekends, they don't have the constitutional right to break the law, Doug McConkey said Tuesday night.
"And drinking when you're not 21 is against the law," he said.
McConkey, vice president for student affairs, was one of several officials from the Ball State and Muncie communities who facilitated Tuesday's open forum on the university's "Police Yourself" campaign. Sponsored by SGA and Brayton-Clevenger Hall, the forum was organized to allow students and officials in the Ball State and Muncie communities to come together and better understand each other's positions on the campaign, said SGA president Ben Tietz.
About 175 students attended the forum and voiced their opinions, loud and strong.
"It was the first step in allowing the two sides to start working together," Tietz said.
Tuesday's talk centered on several key issues that have arisen since the "Police Yourself" began March 17, focusing primarily on Saturday's incident at the Lambda Chi fraternity house in which 87 students were cited for underage drinking.
Sophomore Tykena Buckner said as the police goes to such extremes to continue cracking down on underage drinking, they are affecting the comfort level of students who go out on the weekends and do not drink.
"I don't trust going out on weekends, I don't trust hanging out, and I shouldn't have to feel that way," Buckner said. "If you (police) want me to respect you and take you seriously, respect me too."
Randy Hyman, dean of students, said the university and Muncie police departments have never intended to attack students. He said with the deaths of Michael McKinney and Karl Harford this school year, the university is only striving to increase student safety.
"In every one of these tragedies, there's been heartache. It's been a tough year for all of us," Hyman said. "There's no effort, intent or expectation at all to attack students -- ever. I like to think we're learning something about ourselves and when you leave here you'll feel good about the fact that you were here."
Freshman Mark Nowell, however, said because the deaths of McKinney and Harford were not directly related to underage drinking, Ball State's "Police Yourself" campaign is unnecessary.
"If students were the victims, why are you cracking down on students?" Nowell said.
McConkey said 44 percent of students on campus said they have participated in binge drinking. Because 17 percent of students on Ball State's campus have a serious problem with alcohol abuse, continuing to implement the "Police Yourself" campaign for students is essential, Hyman said.
"Sometimes we don't find out about these serious problems until they're wrapped around a tree or are in the emergency room somewhere," Hyman said.
Tietz said SGA will sponsor another forum on the "Police Yourself" campaign on April 14 in TC 101 and encourages all members of the Ball State and Muncie communities to attend to continue to voice their opinions on the issue.
"There are still a lot of questions out there, and understanding the issue will take time," Tietz said.
Senior Jason Sill said several students are also planning to meet at the Bell Tower Monday at 4:30 p.m. to organize a student task force against "Police Yourself." He said he hopes students will unite for the cause and is hoping for a large turnout.
"By the size of our student body, we can make a difference," Sill said. "Students are the ones who have a voice."
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