Drinking Debate

How old is old enough?

March 4, 2008

Students tried to walk a straight line while wearing impairment goggles at an alcohol-awareness event held by the Department of Public Safety.

Nearly 24 years after the legal age for buying and consuming alcohol was set at 21 nationwide, underage drinking continues to be one of the most sensitive and debated topics on college campuses. Alcohol is available to many college students of all ages, and binge drinking and the acquisition of fake identification are two examples of what critics say are direct results of efforts to circumvent the law.

Dickinson College will consider the issue on Thursday, March 6, during a panel discussion between former Middlebury College President John McCardell, founder and director of Choose Responsibility, and Dickinson alumnus and Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity member Chuck Hurley '67, CEO of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). McCardell and Hurley will debate the consequences of the 1984 National Minimum Legal Drinking Age Act and will discuss whether changes in the law or a reorientation of public policy are warranted.

Students speak out

Dickinson students already are weighing in on the issue in anticipation of the event.

"I think that people have alcohol readily available to them once they enter college, if not sooner," said Anna Marks '09, an American studies major. "I know in my high school, people started drinking and partying at 15, 16 years old."

Daniel Willerth '09, a law & policy major, said, "I feel that if families take the time to educate their children about alcohol, that eventually the age could be lowered like it is in [some countries in] Europe."

Marks agreed, adding, "When I have traveled to France and Australia, drinking is part of the culture. And, usually these kids in foreign countries are over the hype that they can drink by the time they reach 21 since they have been legally allowed to do it for several years."

Engage the experts

Enacted in July 1984, the law required states to set the minimum age for people to purchase alcohol at 21 or face the loss of federal highway funds. At the time, some states allowed 18-year-olds to drink.

Hurley, who previously served as vice president of the Transportation Safety Group for the National Safety Council, helped guide MADD's efforts to pass the drinking age act. He has been CEO of MADD, the nation's leading anti-drunk driving organization, since 2005.

Last year, MADD, the American Medical Association, the National Transportation Safety Board and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety established a coalition of leading health and safety groups in support of the law setting the minimum drinking age at 21. Hurley has warned that lowering the legal drinking age to 18 would lead to more binge drinking among America's youngsters.

McCardell, who held the top position at Middlebury College for 13 years before stepping down in 2004, founded Middlebury-based Choose Responsibility, a nonprofit organization that has a stated mission to stimulate public discussion about the presence of alcohol in American culture and encourage consideration of policies that will empower young adults ages 18 to 20 to make mature decisions about alcohol.

The debate will be held Thursday, March 6, at 7 p.m., in the Social Hall of the Holland Union Building (HUB). For more information, visit www.clarkeforum.org or call 717-245-1875.

Andrew Williams '08