College Presidents Talk About Lowering the Drinking Age
The Amethyst Initiative
Former Middlebury College president James McCardell is on a mission—to convince others that the solution to dangerous college drinking is lowering the drinking age. After founding Choosing Responsibility, a non-profit organization dedicated to researching the issue, he initiated the Amethyst Initiative and asked college presidents around the country to join him. read more »
The Initiative
Statement calls for an unencumbered examination of the issue. Lake
Forest College President Steve Schutt signed it, but told us that he
hasn’t reached a conclusion yet, just agrees that the current system
isn’t working and we need to talk about new options.
Did your or your child’s college president sign it?—check out the list!
http://www.amethystinitiative.org/signatories/
How does the LF/LB Coalition feel about the issue? Read the draft
of our position paper on the
issue and email us with your comments at speakuplflb@gmail.com.
Recent parent survey among local folks indicated that while the
majority of respondents do not feel that lowering the drinking age
should be the solution, a surprising 46% think that it is due some
consideration as the solution. Nationally, 78% of Americans
polled feel the drinking age should not be lowered. Here are some
quick reasons we are concerned about changing the law: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/PollVault/story?id=941810
- Traffic deaths steeply increased in the 1980’s when the drinking age was lowered in 29 states. The change to 21 is considered one of the most effective highway safety measures ever instituted. Can additional deaths ever be worth it?
- The majority of our local youth would turn 18 while still in high school, posing significant risks for them and for the younger students in the school who would have greater access to alcohol.
- Research has been definitive that alcohol is harmful to the developing brain, reducing cognitive abilities and increasing the chance of long term problems with alcohol when consumed at younger ages (prior to 21).
- College presidents have stated that they could provide support for students who have problems with alcohol or who binge while on campus if drinking were out in the open, but the majority of 18-20 year olds in America (75%) do not live on a residential college campus. Should the law be changed for the minority? The rest of the young adults live off campus, or work, and are driving regularly; they put themselves and others at risk when alcohol and driving are combined and little support is available.
- Our understanding of youth today is that they drink not because it is forbidden but because they enjoy the effects of alcohol (lots of alcohol, drinking games, the fun of being drunk, high). We have not seen any evidence that making alcohol use legal would change this, and it puts many more students at risk.
- Some justify lowering the age because of young adults in the service. Lowering the drinking age for those who serve in the military (if they can go to war….) will aggravate an already big problem for young people in the service. Military psychologists told us at the OJJDP Conference on Underage Drinking Prevention that alcohol problems among the younger military personnel are significant, and represent a major problem for our armed services. They feel there are better ways to reward our young people—with scholarships, jobs, homes, opportunities when they return—not a beer. Read the impassioned letter from this military expert.
What do other experts say? Read the words of Health Columnist Jane Brody, of the New York Times.
Speak Up's View On the Issue
Read the position paper for
both sides of the argument!