There are some jokes going around campus that the only way to make Ball State students active is to take away their alcohol.
For most students at this university, this is not true. Many issues affect students at Ball State, and they are willing to voice their opinions about them.
A group of students has planned a rally for 4:30 p.m. today at Shafer Bell Tower to protest the university's "Police Yourself" campaign and the Muncie crackdown on off-campus house parties. These students have shown a direct purpose for the rally, and are willing to act peacefully to forward their cause.
However, since the campaign was introduced and the city announced its crackdown, many people appear to refer to them as one in the same.
Here is the difference: The crackdown is Muncie's response to a problem it says has been boiling for a long time. "Police Yourself" is Ball State's way of warning students of what's coming.
It could be said that, through "Police Yourself," Ball State is endorsing the city's crackdown, especially because it has directed the University Police to double its weekend patrols from four officers to eight. However, Muncie's crackdown, which so far has only consisted of a large bust at Lambda Chi Alpha, would have happened with or without "Police Yourself."
This does not mean students cannot protest both today, it just means students should know the difference between the two. They should understand that, while the university can lay the "Police Yourself" campaign to rest, it won't be as easy for it to stop the crackdown.
But students can ask the university to go to the city to negotiate for a truce.
The last thing Ball State students need is more people falling under the stereotype that students are misguided and lack understanding of what is happening around them.
Students can protest safely in a number of ways. They must just make sure they know what they are protesting and why.
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