By Jaci Schneider, Copy Editor

Much Ado About Something

Think before you commit a crime, and if you’re going to buy a lottery ticket using stolen funds, at least use cash.

Last week a woman from a town near my home in Oregon was arrested for using a stolen credit card to purchase a winning lottery ticket.

She won $1 million but could wind up with nothing if convicted.

And to make matters worse, the police found evidence of a methamphetamine lab in her home while they were searching for the card.

Apparently, the woman didn’t really want any money; if she did, she would have at least used the stolen card to get cash before buying the ticket.

Now, I’m not sure if this woman ever attended college, but this story has helped me realize that college might be confusing some students, and I’d like to use this column to clear a few things up:

_› You can procrastinate for hours on Facebook while in college, but in real life, that might not be allowed. Picture your boss saying this: “Hey, did you finish that report?”

You reply, “Ummm, not yet. How about I get it done at about 2 a.m., after I write on my friend’s wall?”

I don’t think that will go over too well.

_› In college, you can occasionally sleep through your classes, as long as you have the tilted baseball hat trick figured out. In real life, you probably won’t be allowed to wear a baseball hat to your business meetings, and your boss probably won’t fall for the chin-resting-on-your-fist trick either.

_› While living in a dorm or apartment, some students sneak prohibited items, such as candles, small pets and electrical appliances, into their rooms without letting their RAs or landlords know.

Although many people get away with that here, in real life, having a prohibited item, such as a meth lab, has much bigger consequences than a $100 fine.

_› On campus, you can borrow a friend’s ID card for a meal at the Jelly Bean or Bean Sprout, but in real life, you can’t “borrow” someone’s credit card to buy anything, especially not a lottery ticket.

Most students will say they’ve learned a lot in their time at college, and I’m pretty sure most of it is good knowledge. But be wary of those habits that could come back to hurt you in the future.

I would hate to read about one of my fellow students on CNN.com a few years from now and laugh at their stupid crimes.