Taylor & Tebow: A Morality Story

During my university career, I worked as a liaison between the Office of Judicial Affairs and the students. It was a tough role to play, as I was always a bit of an Honor Code junky in an academic setting. Yet, I tend to give credit to all perspectives on situations, so I was often left conflicted on how I felt about my peers' actions. Of all the experiences I had in hearings, though, the most difficult to come to terms with logically were those involving student-athletes, many of whom were at the university on scholarship.

At the judicial kick-off conference at the beginning of each academic year, we always talked about whether "aggravating circumstances" should come into play when determining verdicts and sanctions for students. The most ubiquitous of aggravating circumstances was a scholarship, specifically for a student-athlete. The question was if scholarship athletes should get unique treatment in the judicial system given their importance to the university and the means by which they could attend the university.

I had my opinion: scholarship students or student-athletes are given a rare opportunity to attend an esteemed university with support from that university. Sure, they had more strenuous academic, physical and time obligations than the average, full tuition-paying student. But that came with the territory. Attending my university was a privilege, not a right. An opportunity to better and prove oneself, not a free pass to do what you have to do to get by. Plus, scholarship students are oftentimes the ones honored on the university website and the student-athletes are the ones that the little sports fans aspire to be like. So why shouldn't these people who have been blessed with opportunity and entrusted with the title, "scholarship student" be held to a higher standard? Why shouldn't the power given to these students by the university, the power to get a top-25 American education and/or play on a Division I athletic team, also face the comparable responsibility of upholding the values of that university?

My opinion was clear: Of course scholarship students, especially student-athletes, should be held to a higher standard. But this opinion, or any other for that matter, was never written in stone, no matter how long we spent talking about it. And today, when you read the papers, the general public's decision to dance around the subject of being held to a higher standard is more apparent than ever. Cue Taylor and Tebow.

A few weeks ago I read an interview with Taylor Swift where she explained why she was not one to consume alcohol or go out partying. She spoke candidly about the fact that her career choice has put her in a position to be a role model, whether she likes it or not. This is something that she accepts because there's no way around it and anyone who finds themselves on red carpets, stages or newspaper pages should recognize that with that great power (and privilege) of being in the spotlight comes a hefty responsibility.

These are also similar words to those we've heard from Tebow in his many interviews, including the most recent one in USA Today. He knows that his career depends on the way he behaves when he's not on the football field, not just because he needs to take care of himself, but because people, like his friends and family, look up to him. With the opportunity to be on that field and pursue his passion day in and day out comes the responsibility of being the man that every fan and enemy alike looks to. And he knows that with the fame and the fortune comes opportunities to go out, spend money and be a little reckless. But just because the option to do these things is there doesn't mean you have to or even should do them.

Taylor Swift and Tim Tebow probably don't have much in common. But there is one thing that they both do that gives me a (likely false) hope that the future of celebrity might be bright. They are both young people in the primes of their lives, with every opportunity at their finger tips. But some of those opportunities could damage more than their careers: some could impact them for life. In a bad way. And the ability to take a step back and ask if a decision is both true to themselves and true to the privileges they've been given, to the way their fans need to see them, is a sign of maturity and worthiness of celebrity.

So when I think back at that question, should scholarship students and student-athletes, who are arguably the "celebrities" of the university setting, be held to a higher standard? I still think yes. Because if they are mature and morally worthy enough to be given the privilege of a scholarship, to pursue their passion, be it academic or athletic, then they should have the self-control to make good decisions. And thus when they make mistakes, the big ones that are worthy of meeting a judicial dean, then they should be mature and moral enough to recognize that they deserve greater punishment. Because it's not like these young men and women go into a scholarship blind; they know very well that it's something they've earned and that it holds a meaning greater than numbers on a check. They know that it's an honor and that even the smallest misstep could bring it all crashing down. And after all, who we are is a product of the choices we make. Isn't it the responsibility of higher education to make sure we know that?