In reference to Wednesday's article about DUIs, I was encouraged that the rate has, at the moment, decreased. However, I was appalled to learn that a student who is dumb enough to receive a DUI not only faces charges from the government but has to submit themselves to UF's discipline.
What right does a public school have to judge your actions outside of school? I can understand if the act is committed on campus, but if a student commits a crime outside of UF, UF should stay out of the matter. I understand that we represent UF and the bad publicity DUIs warrant, but what about when teachers have their scandals? Do the students receive any compensation for attending the school with the cocaine-trading teacher or with the English professor who forgot what plagiarism was?
Not only is this single act of UF invasive, it leads down a slippery slope. The main reason UF has to punish us for our acts outside of campus is that we represent the university. Well, what if a student is a Nazi or Racist? These groups could tarnish UF's reputation, and if UF took the same logic as with the DUI, it wouldn't allow any undesirable into the school. And that, my friends, is wrong.
It is illegal. It is unacceptable. UF, as well as a large number of other universities, tries to keep its reputation as high as possible, but stay out of our lives because they are not your concern.
We pay you to go here; you do not pay us. Either take our money (please spend it wisely) or do not. But please concern yourself with schooling matters, not personal ones.
