Dear Editor,
I am astonished at the reaction of students to the increased amount of police involvement on and around campus. Every column in Monday's Forum section of the Daily News made the concession that underage drinking is against the law and should be punished. They also said that this law should not receive its prescribed punishment. But the "Jack of All Trades" column really pushed this issue a little too far in my mind. "Charging Olufunmbi Elemo a $500 fine, putting her on probation from the university or even making her spend 60 days in jail for the Class C misdemeanor wouldn't make me any less likely to be hurt or killed next weekend. She's well-respected, an honors student and the Student Government Association vice president." Just because someone is well-respected, an honors student and involved in university activities, they should not be punished for breaking the law? Isn't there some sort of discrepancy here? Second, wouldn't punishing law breakers send a message to other students? If those students do get that message, then putting law breakers away is making us safer in the long run. Being soft on someone because of their status is ridiculous. I liken that to the fines pro athletes get when they do something illegal. Has the university taken a tough stance on the partying problem we have at Ball State? Yes. Is this reminiscent of when the British started taxing the American colonies and enforcing them? Definitely.
However, I think the issue is fundamentally different. While the colonists had the taxes suddenly forced upon them, the legal limit for alcohol consumption has been around longer than any Ball State student can remember. It became obvious this year that students weren't taking the initiative to be safe and be legal. So the university had to pick up the slack. As students, we need to take responsibility for ourselves. Many argue that the legal drinking age should be lowered to 18, because we are adults (seeing as how we can fight and die for our country, regardless of the fact the draft is not in effect). Well then, fellow students, we need to act like it. I certainly hope that, as adults, we don't get home from our jobs on Thursday night only to party and wake up the next morning with a hangover for work. That's really impressive. I am not trying to call people out. I only ask that we support the university's policies to keep us safe until we can do it for ourselves.
Jordan McKinley
Student
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