Twenty-one is often the age associated with a "rite of passage" for young American adults because it is the age when one can legally drink. However, if more than 100 college presidents have their way, the legalized drinking age could come a lot earlier - three years to be exact.
Over a year ago, the former president of Middlebury College, John McCardell, formed an organization called the Amethyst Initiative. His goal was to get all college presidents in the nation to sign a document that pushed for the debate to reconsider the 1984 Uniform Drinking Age Act that set the national drinking age at 21.
While many prominent universities like Ohio State and Duke have signed the document, UCF President John Hitt did not sign. According to a statement issued by Hitt, he is still indecisive.
"You could best describe me as being skeptical but keeping an open mind," Hitt said to UCF news and Information. "I would welcome a healthy debate grounded in good data and scientific analysis. As for the initiative, I have not signed the petition. Obviously, this is a decision to be made by the legislature, and UCF will uphold Florida statutes."
The initiative is seeking debate while using other countries with lower drinking ages as examples. In countries such as Australia and Germany, there are significantly fewer reported cases of alcohol abuse. They attribute this to young adults learning to drink responsibly and learning to control themselves before they get to college age. The initiative feels that students in college will drink no matter what, but by making alcohol illegal to them, they will only drink more at dangerous levels.
Tom Hall, the director of Education and Training for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention programs on campus, disagrees with this ideology.
"I understand the idea behind lowering the drinking age," Hall said. "However, I do not believe it will result in a decrease in alcohol-related harms."
Hall continued, "I don't see the issue as simple as when college students can legally drink, but how much they consume when they drink and how often they drink. Harms related to alcohol use increase based on how much and how often one drinks. The idea that when drinking is restricted, increased use follows, is just that - an idea. Science does not back up this idea."
Mallori Phillips, the advertising director for Late Knights, agrees that lowering the age won't change the way things are.
"It depends on the person and how you're raised," Phillips said. "It's not going to change the way people abuse alcohol. Other countries have drinking alcohol engrained in their culture. It's the cultural difference between theirs and ours that makes it to where it won't work. We're an instant gratification society. If we want something, we'll get it. It doesn't matter if we change the age. If something is illegal, you're more inclined to go for it. I don't necessarily agree with that, but that's the way it is."
While the college presidents are trying to push for debate to change the age, senior mathematics major Hyejung Kim said it should be up to local businesses to play their part as well.
"Bars around here let people in if they're under 21," Kim said. "and it doesn't make sense since it's a bar and their main purpose is to serve alcohol. If you want to go out and do something around here, there are no options but to consider drinking. I mean, they should open the bowling alleys until about midnight or something. You don't go to sleep at 10 o'clock in college, so what do you do?"
Freshman journalism major Mary Starkey does not see a need for the initiative.
"I don't feel the proposal is necessary," Starkey said. "If you're 18, you don't have the maturity of a 21-year-old. I mean, you just got your license two years ago."
Freshman Megan Bradley looks at the situation in a different way.
"Most 18-year-olds won't drink at home when they're young anyways," Bradley said. "They're still going to go out and drink. [The college presidents] are just hoping it's going to happen. It's a false hope that they're creating for themselves."?
Be the first to comment on this article!