For the past several weeks, there have been so many arguments in the paper lately, so I decided to add my two cents on two certain items that seem very much publicized: tailgating and the university "having morals." You know that I got a lot to say about those. To be honest, I don't know a lot about either subject for two reasons. One, I have never tailgated, so I'll be on the outside looking in. Two, morals are what you make of it. What you may seem wrong may actually be right to someone else, it's called ethnocentrism.
So, here we go...
As I stated earlier, I haven't tailgated, but I know what I've seen and sometimes my eyes are even better than what has happened. Like many students, I was at the Homecoming football game watching Ball State and cheering them on, but I was sober.
Now I'm sure most of the people there were sober also, but some weren't. For example, there were some members of a fraternity, I won't say which one, but one Ball State student said, and I quote this person, "I'm going back over there, to drink some more." Someone also said, "Did you get drunk today?"
I mean, you don't have to be a honor student to see what they were talking about. Now I feel that if drinking alcohol, especially underage drinking of alcohol, and sometimes violence happens, then the university has the right and the responsibility to do something about it. I feel, and remember I never tailgated, so I feel that the university should step in, which leads directly into morals, I mean if there were no problems, then the university wouldn't need to step in.
Now the university isn't in charge of giving you morals. That's the job of the household that raised you. For example, if you know smoking weed is a bad idea, just because you get to college doesn't mean that you'll start doing that as soon as you step foot on campus.
I've been here 3 and 1/2 years and I've always stuck to my morals. I never confined to what others should think my morals should be. Now, the university shouldn't tell you what to do or what not to do, you should know that already. If you are going to do something, the university should provide you with alternatives to a situation, but never a definite answer. No one knows what you are going to do, but as someone once told me, "There are always more than one answer. You may not like your choices, but you also have more than one."
The same can be said about Ball State, if you don't want to go out and get drunk, then don't. I'm now 21, but I decide not to get drunk every weekend.
I remember when I first got back to campus and some people on my floor chose to go out and drink, who were underage, I should add. What did I choose to do? I chose to stay in my room and decorate it.
I'm not bashing anybody's opinion, but I just want people to see that you can't blame other people for something that you have chosen to do. I know today, people blame the media, music, their childhood, or sometimes, even their school. Most times people have to responsible for their own actions. If you're not, then a person or a group of people in an authority position have to step in and make things right. With underage drinking, the university is stepping in. Why do you think this campus is dry now?
Just something to think about...
Write to Moses at bawarren@bsu.edu
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