A candid photograph can cause trouble for college presidents, as well for students. Just ask Robert Paxton, president of Iowa Central Community College.

On Saturday, The Des Moines Register reported on a photograph circulating in the Fort Dodge area, where the college is located, that appeared to show Mr. Paxton pouring beer down the throat of a young woman on a boat. The photograph also shows another passenger pouring vodka into someone’s mouth, according to the newspaper.

The article quoted an expert in higher-education ethics, who said that Mr. Paxton had a responsibility to “demonstrate exemplary conduct” to students. Mr. Paxton, however, said the keg in the photograph was broken and did not dispense beer. “I wasn’t misbehaving,” he told the Register. “I wasn’t drinking.” A trustee of the college said that the photograph pertained to Mr. Paxton’s private life, and that the president had done nothing wrong.

The article suggests that as some college presidents push for debate over the drinking age, the thirst for stories of presidential imbibing may grow. —Eric Hoover