"Police Yourself" was created in March 2004 after the death of Karl Harford, and students complained, mocked it and ignored the message.
"Save Yourself" came to Ball State University Thursday night, and hundreds of students showed up to hear the message.
The major difference between the campaigns is national exposure, but the message stays the same: Make good choices.
Beth Twitty spoke to the Ball State crowd about her "Save Yourself" campaign, which she started as a way to bring something positive out of the disappearance and likely murder of her daughter, Natalee Holloway. In May 2005, the 18-year-old took a graduation trip to Aruba that she never returned from.
The "Save Yourself" message is particularly poignant on this campus right now because of two words that have been on student lips and countdowns for the last few weeks: Spring Break.
Some students are traveling as far as other continents, and some are staying as close as Yorktown - but the advice still applies.
"We do it because it's not a safe world," Twitty said. "It's not safe at home in the Internet chat room, and it's not safe on an exotic trip."
That doesn't mean students should spend their Spring Breaks locked up in their hotel rooms - or bedrooms in their parents' homes - hiding from the rapists and murderers of the world. What it does mean is that each one of us has to take responsibility for ourselves and our own actions.
Twitty urged students to travel safely in groups and only with people they know, to never leave drinks unattended and to avoid situations where their free will might be endangered. In addition, students traveling abroad should always keep their passports with them, stick to known locales with other people around and follow local regulations. While judgement can sometimes be impaired by the excitement and reckless abandon of Spring Break, making smart decisions regarding personal safety can be tough - but those decisions are as important in Florida and Mexico as in Muncie.
Accidents can happen, and so can travesties - even during Spring Break.
So, whether you "Save Yourself" or "Police Yourself," just make sure you remain cautious of unsafe situations and make intelligent decisions wherever your break might take you.
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