 "Photo: Emily Kinsolving")
UT President William Powers has not yet signed on his name to a controversial document urging a lowering of the legal drinking age. He will not make his final decision without more campus discussion and input.
The Amethyst Initiative, which was launched this June by former Middlebury College President John McCardell, released the document Wednesday, which included the headline "Twenty-one is not working."
One hundred university presidents from across the country signed the letter. The majority of the presidents are from small, liberal arts colleges, but the list includes the likes of Ohio State, Duke and Syracuse universities.
Don Hale, UT vice president for public affairs, said Powers became aware of the statement only last week, and he plans to introduce the matter to the Vice Presidents' Council next Thursday before making any decisions on the matter. In the meantime, Powers will seek expert advice from several UT faculty members familiar with issues of underage drinking and alcohol abuse among college students.
Diana Dinitto, a UT social work professor, said the idea of lowering the drinking age should be considered but any debate should also focus on responsible drinking.
"I think part of the idea behind it is that if it's not illegal, then there might be less enticement to sort of push the envelope here," Dinitto said. "If it's legal, you don't need to take advantage of opportunities to drink in more advanced quantities."
Dinitto said policy makers may want to combine a lower drinking age with laws that lower the legal blood alcohol level under which someone may operate an automobile.
"You can't ever look at one policy alone; you need to look at it in combination," she said.
The legal drinking age is decided on a state-by-state basis, but federal law calls for 10 percent of highway funding to be withheld from any state with a legal age below 21.
"If you can fight, you should be able to drink," public relations freshman Christina DeFiore said, in reference to the U.S. armed services' enlistment age minimum of 18.
DeFiore said the illegality of alcohol leads many of her peers to consume excessive amounts of alcohol during a short time frame, whereas previous generations practiced more moderation.
"They did it in more of a social atmosphere, instead of binge drinking like we do," she said.
Mechanical engineering senior Doug Yacek said illegal and often excessive drinking will always be part of the college mentality.
"The bottom line is, the lower the drinking age, the earlier people will get alcohol into their hands," he said, adding that during a trip to Australia, where the legal drinking age is 18, he saw 15- and 16-year-olds exposed to alcohol.
He said a grassroots movement to change the culture of alcohol consumption in the U.S. would be necessary.
"Students aren't going to listen to the president of a university," he said.
Be the first to comment on this article!