2008 Woodie Awards
Pandora's 30-rack
Nicholas O'Malley, Collegian Columnist
Issue date: 9/8/08 Section: Editorial / Opinion
For those who have already heard of the Amethyst Initiative, the two sides of the issue are easy to determine: those who are under 21, and those who are above 21.
The first true challenge to the current drinking age since its inception 25 years ago, the Amethyst Initiative has been gaining steam recently with the support of college chancellors. Currently, 129 chancellors, including University of Massachusetts Chancellor Robert Holub, are backing the initiative that according to its statement is attempting, "to invite new ideas about the best ways to prepare young adults to make responsible decisions about alcohol."
The new ideas are based upon the concept that legalized drinking at 18 is safer than the current situation. The goal is to stop students from taking as many shots as possible from that bottle of cheap vodka they keep wrapped in a towel in a trunk under their bed, before an RA gets within a 50-foot radius. Backers of the initiative hope that lowering the drinking age will quell the urge to drink unsupervised in locked rooms and get students into bars and other venues where alcohol can be consumed in a healthier manner. Without the fear of getting written up for a game of flip cup, the taboo novelty of binge drinking would lose some of its attractiveness, causing drinking to become more social, as it is in Canada and European countries.
I, along with countless other students, would love to believe that this concept would work. But it's just too easy.
It's too easy too sit here and claim that the Amethyst Initiative is the answer and that it would reduce binge drinking. Believe me, I love people not getting busted for something they do anyway, I'm a team player. And I'm sure many students agree whole-heartedly that they, along with their peers, are mature enough to handle the responsibility. We've all heard the arguments: if, at 18, you can go to war, serve jury duty, live on your own and vote, you should be able to get a beer.
The first true challenge to the current drinking age since its inception 25 years ago, the Amethyst Initiative has been gaining steam recently with the support of college chancellors. Currently, 129 chancellors, including University of Massachusetts Chancellor Robert Holub, are backing the initiative that according to its statement is attempting, "to invite new ideas about the best ways to prepare young adults to make responsible decisions about alcohol."
The new ideas are based upon the concept that legalized drinking at 18 is safer than the current situation. The goal is to stop students from taking as many shots as possible from that bottle of cheap vodka they keep wrapped in a towel in a trunk under their bed, before an RA gets within a 50-foot radius. Backers of the initiative hope that lowering the drinking age will quell the urge to drink unsupervised in locked rooms and get students into bars and other venues where alcohol can be consumed in a healthier manner. Without the fear of getting written up for a game of flip cup, the taboo novelty of binge drinking would lose some of its attractiveness, causing drinking to become more social, as it is in Canada and European countries.
I, along with countless other students, would love to believe that this concept would work. But it's just too easy.
It's too easy too sit here and claim that the Amethyst Initiative is the answer and that it would reduce binge drinking. Believe me, I love people not getting busted for something they do anyway, I'm a team player. And I'm sure many students agree whole-heartedly that they, along with their peers, are mature enough to handle the responsibility. We've all heard the arguments: if, at 18, you can go to war, serve jury duty, live on your own and vote, you should be able to get a beer.
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