Just because you're a college student, that doesn't mean you can't have power or influence - nor does it mean you can't find yourself in the public spotlight.
Andrea Watts, one of our Student Government Association senators and Homecoming Queen hopefuls, found herself in a predicament this weekend when she was taken away to the Delaware County Jail after, police said, she was caught drunk in public and began arguing with a Ball State University police officer. Later at the jail, she spat on a guard, which prompted officials to tack on a charge of battery by bodily waste.
What transpired Saturday and whether Watts will spend up to three years in prison depends on a judge.
Beyond the possible legal repercussions of a fine and time behind bars, there has been further damage for the university on a broader scale.
Watts is not the first high-profile student here who has found herself in trouble. In 2003, then-SGA Vice President Olufunmbi Elemo resigned after she was cited on suspicion of minor consumption of alcohol at a party. Elemo denied she ever drank that night - despite the surfacing of a written citation with her name on it - but she resigned after then-SGA President Ben Tietz urged her to do so because of how her actions reflected on the organization and the university.
This doesn't mean Watts needs to resign, but it should serve as a lesson to those who have influence or represent Ball State. Whether you are a student senator, an athlete, an officer of a student organization or, yes, even one of us in student media, you need to be careful about what types of situations in which you find yourself. People are watching and are ready to judge the university as a whole based on your personal actions.
Look at Duke University, a school that has a credibility that's difficult to argue against.
That changed for a while in 2006 when three members of Duke's men's lacrosse team found themselves in court after an exotic dancer accused them of first-degree sexual offense, kidnapping and rape. Yes, the students were acquitted on all charges a year later, but as Duke University said in a press statement, the incident "changed the lives of three young men and their families and deeply affected the broader Duke community" because of the attention drawn to the university.
No, Watts' incident does not compare to the allegations made against the Duke students, but the three Blue Devils demonstrated how easily opinions can change about a university when someone in a high-profile position is thrust into the spotlight.
No Ball State students in lofty positions have ever caused such a legal ruckus that all eyes were on us from coast to coast, but let's not let it get that way.
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