Let’s take a minute to talk about a certain extra-curricular activity many college students partake in: Drinking and tweeting. 

In The Princeton Review’s 2013 list of the “Top 20 Party Schools in the U.S.,” the University of Iowa was dubbed “the number one party school” in the nation. It is no surprise that many college students binge drink, but the reality is that the majority of students who drink are underage … and tweeting about it. 

@Vodka_samm (Samantha Goudie, 22) recently became “famous” for blowing a .341 Blood Alcohol Content during the first tailgate and football game at the University of Iowa (a BAC of .40 – .50 is where a normal sized person falls into a coma or dies). Before deleting it, her twitter page was rapidly gaining followers and opinions were and are flying off the wall. 

All you have to do is Google her name and you will find pictures, articles, tweets and a statement from her police report.

On Aug. 31, 2013, after @Vodka_samm’s mother bailed her out of jail, she tweeted:

“Just went to jail #yolo”

Later, on the same day she tweeted:

“I’m going to get .341 tattooed on me because it’s so epic”

My point here, is not to judge, but to get people thinking. What if you suddenly became famous for going to jail intoxicated? What if the whole world suddenly had a desire to read all of your tweets? After a fun night out, we all like to rant, tag, and post. That is just part of our generation. Maybe now is the time to start cleaning up our public posts on social media. Use Samantha as a lesson. Maybe she isn’t the alcoholic the public (and her twitter) make her seem, but if we can so easily judge her for her story and tweets, can’t others judge us for the same thing?

On a more serious note, students need to take a second to re-evaluate their friendships. We have all heard the famous “friends don’t let friends drive drunk” quote. Friends don’t let friends get to a .341 BAC. If you think your friend has drank too much or is flat-out, out of control, stop them.  It may seem obvious, but after you’ve drank a bit, or possibly made a new friend you don’t feel comfortable confronting, this situation can be sticky. 

Goudie was lucky. She may have to face her parent’s disappointment and an incredible amount of public shame, but at least she is not laying in a coffin right now because she choked on her own vomit.

Inappropriate tweets might get a few laughs, favorites or retweets, but once that tweet is sent, it is out for the world to see.