Posts
- UF student newspaper ~ alligator, Aug. 25, ‘08
An Aug. 18 article in USA Today reported that 100 college presidents, mostly Ivy League schools, were calling on lawmakers to lower the legal drinking age from 21 to 18. They claimed that by doing this, it would help curb binge drinking on campus. These university heads had been recruited by a group called the Amethyst Initiative.
In it’s mission statement, the Initiative says this about lowering the drinking age:
Twenty-one is not working
A culture of dangerous, clandestine “binge-drinking”—often conducted off-campus—has developed.
Alcohol education that mandates abstinence as the only legal option has not resulted in significant constructive behavioral change among our students.
Adults under 21 are deemed capable of voting, signing contracts, serving on juries and enlisting in the military, but are told they are not mature enough to have a beer.
By choosing to use fake IDs, students make ethical compromises that erode respect for the law.
Reading further the mission statement doesn’t call for any specific change in the law, only that there is a:
common desire to reopen public debate
I’m all for debate, but let’s talk about the real problem. Underage drinking on campus, and what the colleges and local authorities are willing to do to enforce the existing laws.
When I was a teen and in college, the legal drinking age in Tennessee was 18. Having the legal right to drink did nothing to curtail binge drinking. Why would it, you could drink? Most of the college kids I knew took full advantage of it ~ me included. What it did do was make it easier for high school kids to ‘pass’ and buy alcohol. So instead of 18-year-olds trying to pass for 21, you had 15, 16-year-olds passing for 18.
The argument that an 18-year-old can serve on juries or enlist in the military says to me that maybe the drinking age shouldn’t be lower, but the age of consent for these other actions be raised. If you were in court, either as a victim or offender, would you really want an 18-year-old deciding your fate? Is an 18-year-old really mentally, physically and emotionally prepared to be given a gun and sent into a war zone? I’m not so sure that the voting age shouldn’t be raised too.
Most students don’t binge drink, or drink at all, by themselves. It’s a social thing, they drink with friends. Lowering the age won’t do anything to change the behavior of kids who would drink anyway, regardless of the legal age. Then you have all those kids who want to know what it’s like to drink, but still follow the rules. Lowering the drinking age to 18 finally takes that last restriction off them.
Bernie Machen, president of the University of Florida, has come out against the Amethyst Initiative. I have a daughter, 19 and a sophomore at the University of Florida. I can’t see any benefit that she’d have from being able to drink now. (and, like to believe her when she tells me that she does not drink now.) I applaud Machen for taking an opposing stand on this issue.
Binge drinking is a pervasive and dangerous problem at the nation’s universities. Reducing the drinking age to 18 might reduce its visibility by allowing college administrators to shift responsibility to law enforcement or social services, but it won’t do anything to solve the problem. For that, we need college leaders, state lawmakers and local officials to work together on discouraging students from binge drinking and reducing their opportunities to do so.
Underaged drinking is an undeniable problem, but I don’t believe letting even younger kids drink is the solution. I’m not against drinking, I’m against irresponsible drinking.
Parents, are you comfortable with lowering the drinking age? Would you let your children drink at home, even if they were legally too young?
September 6, 2008 |
Comments
2 Comments so far
Top Commentators
Most Popular Posts
- Why Our Kids Need To Fail!
- Secrets and Why We Keep Them
- Sign Sign Everywhere A Sign
- A Dark Night Brings Commitment to Life
- I Die Daily
- What Do You Know About Healing?
- Road to Zion (National Park, Utah)
- Sherpa de' la Faire sa Valise de' Ride de' Rockies
- Breaking in a New Baseball Glove
- Shameless (not)Self-Promotion
Bad Momma, Moms September 7, 2008 10:19 am
I remember the days of 3.2 Beer (man do I feel old!). I don’t think changing the drinking age will accomplish much one way or the other.
Perhaps we should create special exemptions (rights) for 18 year olds that either vote or are in the military. AND they must have a clean driving record. AND maintain an acceptable GPA.
I do not think the Universities should condone the use of alcohol. Period.
Tara R. September 8, 2008 5:15 pm
I remember near-beer, is that 3.2? I agree… this seems too much like the presidents are covering their butts, removing the liability of having underage students drinking. Lowering the age is not the answer.