College Admins Say Drinking Age Should Be 18
Wed 20 Aug 2008 – 12.45
For those who don’t know, the minimum drinking age in America is 21. It used to be 18 back in the 60s and 70s, but after pressure from highway safety groups, the Federal Government decided that any state with a lowered drinking age would not receive highway funding. So every state raised it back.
This is, of course, one of the most fundamental social oddities in our society. ‘Underage’ drinking is an institution all its own and has spawned an entire subculture dedicated to scoring booze, not to mention half the police force of every town exists solely to bust kids from drinking before they’re legal.
But now the presidents of many universities are pushing for a lowered drinking age (back to 18) in an effort to control binge drinking and the elicit partying by students. They figure that if students can have legal, legitimate access to alcohol, they won’t go fuckin’ nuts trying to get drunk. Makes sense because most people I know will testify that they didn’t drink the same once they turned 21.
However, the plan has come under fire from MADD and other groups who say this will cause the number of drunk drivers to skyrocket. More teens drinking mean more teens dying on the roads.
So who’s right? Well, both groups have a good point.
Imagine students being able to drink on campus: they’ll file out of classes and straight into the bars. At night, they’ll stagger home to the dorms and cause ruckus. Oh wait, that’s what happens now. Except if the drinking age were lowered to 18, the University could have a monopoly on alcohol. Ban Frat houses from serving alcohol, but instead provide it at the student union, cafeteria, or campus bar. That way you know who’s coming in, and you can cut ‘em off when they’ve had too much.
But what happens to those schools that don’t have much of a campus? What happens during summer vacation? What about high schoolers who turn 18. Yes, they’ll all be able to drink and I’m sure there will be a spike in road accidents (at least for a little while). Considering how stupid teenagers are in general, I can easily picture this turning into a complete mess.
So here’s what you do: keep the drinking age at 21, but only allow 18-year-olds to drink at sanctioned on-campus establishments. This means that smaller campuses will be left out, but for larger schools, it gives underclassmen the chance to drink without all the sneaking around and inevitable police hi-jinx. Check school IDs at the door, and overcharge for drinks. Freshman will find a way to come up with the cash.
In Europe, and everywhere else in the world, the drinking age is 18. Every university has a bar at the student union, and things are pretty civil. Yes, the underclassmen have a few stories and occasionally something silly will occur on campus, but the numbers of drunk driving accidents are nothing spectacular. The republic will stand.
Considering we did it back in the 70s, I don’t see how a drinking age of 18 is such a terrible evil. Am I missing something, as a non-drinker.
posted by Scott in education, health & fitness, life.
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