 "Photo: Evan Wiskup | Student Life")
Since 1984, the federal drinking age has been 21 years old. However, more than 100 college presidents and chancellors recently have signed a petition asking lawmakers to reconsider the law.
The Amethyst Initiative has been signed by 129 presidents and chancellors of some of the country’s most well-known colleges and universities, including Johns Hopkins, Duke, Ohio State and Tufts.
The Amethyst Initiative was started by Choose Responsibly, a movement founded by John McCardell, the former president of Middlebury College.
According to Grace Kronenberg, a representative from the Amethyst Initiative, the movement has gained support from college administrators because alcohol use on campuses is a broad issue that impacts all campuses.
“It’s frustration with the status quo. The [drinking age] law helps perpetuate the culture of drinking to intoxication, pre-gaming, playing drinking games and the unfortunate consequences that come with it. [College administrators] feel that their hands are tied on this issue,” Kronenberg said.
Kronenberg also said that administrators are forced to apply different policies to segments of their campus populations.
“It divides their campuses into two groups who are both adults, but only one can drink alcohol.”
The Amethyst Initiative is part of Choose Responsibly, which started addressing the issue of heavy alcohol use on college campuses about two years ago.
According to Kronenberg, the Amethyst Initiative has not yet captured the attention of legislators due to the elections this fall and the fact that Congress is not currently in session. Kronenberg hopes that the initiative will receive attention once legislators return.
Inquiries to universities whose presidents have signed the initiative were directed to previously issued statements.
According to a statement by Richard Brodhead, president of Duke University, the current law does not prevent underage drinking.
“At colleges and universities, the law does have other effects: It pushes drinking into hiding, heightening its risks, including risks from drunken driving; and it prevents us from addressing drinking with students as an issue of responsible choice,” Brodhead wrote in the statement.
In many cases, universities stated that they did not sign the initiative simply to lower the drinking age, but cited the Amethyst Initiative’s desire for open discussion as a chief reason for their support.
“We do not simply advocate lowering the drinking age as a solution to a very serious problem. Rather, we want to encourage an honest and constructive dialogue among educators, lawmakers, parents and students,” Brodhead said in the statement.
E. Gordon Gee, president of Ohio State University, also signed the Amethyst Initiative and supports a discussion that would include many groups.
“President Gee has joined other university presidents to call for an open discussion and debate on alcohol-related issues on and off campus. He strongly believes that a comprehensive review of public policy related to responsible drinking is needed,” a statement issued by Ohio State University announced.
According to their Web site, the Amethyst Initiative maintains that it is not pushing for a specific policy, but the initiative does state the signatories’ belief that the current law is not working as it was intended.
According to the policies of the Office of Residential Life, underage possession of alcohol is against both Missouri state law and the University’s student judicial code. Highest enforcement is applied to actions that are repeated, disruptive, dangerous or flagrant.
The University also prohibits large common containers on campus and bars are not allowed in residence halls. Incoming students also complete AlcoholEdu, an educational tutorial that provides information regarding alcohol use.
