2008 Woodie Awards
The Amethyst Initiative:
Why 21 is not the answer
Deborah Bitzan, Editor in Chief
Issue date: 9/24/08 Section: News
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As stated on the Amethyst Initiative's website, the signatories of the statement do not claim to know the answer to the college student drinking problem. However, it does explicitly say that "21 is not working as well as the public may think, that its unintended consequences are posing increasing risks to young people, and that it is time for a serious debate among our elected representatives about whether current public policies are in line with current realities."
One of the unintended consequences of a lofty legal drinking age is the trend of binge drinking that has been on the rise in underage drinkers, primarily college students. In college, diversity is found not only in ethnicities, lifestyles and culture, but also in age. Students who are under 21 mingle with those who are of age, which makes alcohol readily available around college campuses. Although underage drinking occurs in bars, facilitated by fake I.D.s and in some cases negligent ownership of the bar, most irresponsible partying occurs in the private homes of students who are already 21. House parties make alcohol extremely accessible for people of all ages, and are extremely hard to police without previous suspicion.
It is believed by those who support the initiative, and even by some who don't, that students who binge drink do so because it is a novelty, something that is fleeting and limited and has the potential to not be enjoyed again in the near future. Moderation is lost when students are under the notion that their "partying experience" is not as accessible as it would be if they were able to legally drink. Permission to drink in bars, where there are cut offs, law enforcement access, and monetary restrictions, is a privilege withheld for those who are 21 years old or older. Without incentives to enjoy alcohol responsibly, and motivated by the scandalous exhilaration facilitated by underage drinking, college students are likely to continue to binge drink .
It's this problem that has primarily motivated the signatories of The Amethyst Initiative. Presidents of prominent universities, small colleges, and all that lies in between have come together to speak out on the problem of binge drinking on their campuses. Duke, Pomona, Syracuse, Tufts are a few of the very reputable schools that are supporting the initiative. S. Georgia Newton of Kenyon University in Ohio stated "If you asked college presidents in America, probably at least 90 percent of us would say that raising the drinking age has not been a positive thing on our campuses. Let's look at, in a sense, [as] education rather than prohibition." Promoting an alcohol abstinence agenda leaves drinking stigmatized and appealing students, and also ignorant of the profound effects too much alcohol could have on a person.
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