College presidents ponder drinking age

College and university presidents across the nation are taking time to "rethink the drinking age." The Amethyst Initiative, a coalition of chancellors and presidents from colleges and universities across the United States, has adopted this motto with the hope of decreasing binge drinking on campuses. They think that lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18 should be considered. According to Amethyst Initiative, this organization "supports informed and unimpeded debate on the 21-year-old drinking age." The Web site states that the age limit is not working because "adults under 21 are deemed capable of voting, signing contracts, serving on juries and enlisting in the military, but are told they are not mature enough to have a beer." As of Sept. 22, there are a total of 129 signatures on the presidential statement. Three of these presidents are from schools in Ohio: E. Gordon Gee of The Ohio State University, S. Georgia Nugent of Kenyon College and Dennison W. Griffith of Columbus College of Art & Design. Otterbein's President, C. Brent DeVore did not add his name to the list. DeVore sees the issue as very complex, and predicts that it would be misinterpreted. "I think unfortunately a lot of people have interpreted that [The Amethyst Initiative] came out with a hard and fast statement saying 'reduce the age of drinking from 21 to 18 and everything will go away' and that's not the case. They wanted to have a discussion about it," explained DeVore. DeVore is a firm believer in moderation. "It's a complex issue, it's education, it's a sense of understanding the moderate use of alcohol," he said. Some students may wonder if binge drinking is a relevant issue on Otterbein's campus. According to The Core Drug and Alcohol Survey conducted last spring, the annual consumption of alcohol by Otterbein students decreased by 3 percent, and binge drinking decreased almost 10 percent since 2005. Julie Saker, director of student conduct and wellness, organized the anonymous survey and was unable to pinpoint the exact cause of the drop in binge drinking. She said it could be one of multiple things, from enforcement by the college or students not having the opportunities to drink that they have had previously. While other colleges and universities are dealing with the dangers of binge drinking on their campuses, Otterbein is nearly 14 percent lower than the national average in those who partake in binge drinking. t&c;

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