U of A Spurns Initiative To Lower Drinking Age

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- A group of more than 100 university presidents across the country is calling for the drinking age to be lowered from 21 to 18. The majority of the schools have small enrollments, but there are a few large colleges on the list as well, including Duke, Dartmouth, Syracuse and Ohio State. Bu there is one local university you will not see as a part of the so-called Amethyst Initiative: the University of Arkansas.

Drinking Age Stirs Debate

"With all due respect, these are people who have seriously studied a problem on their campus and they think this is a good solution to it. We disagree," said Steve Voorhies, manager of media relations for the University of Arkansas.

The national group's aim is to fight the rampant binge drinking now found on campuses across the country. Voorhies said the University of Arkansas shared that goal, but wants to pursue it using different methods.

"Aside from alcoholism permitted, we don't think it's the answer to the problem of binge drinking," Voorhies said.

Many university students, however, think allowing 18-year-olds to drink might be a good idea.

"It's kind of annoying when I go abroad and everything, because I've been abroad a number of times. But in the United States, I'm 20 years old, and I can't drink," said Alex Lanis, a sophomore at the University of Arkansas.

Lanis said he does see some potential pitfalls by lowering the drinking age. He said the change could end up causing 18-year-olds to become the suppliers of alcohol for 16-year-olds. But he said the measure would go a long way toward fighting binge drinking.

"Lowering the drinking age would definitely help binge drinking because that's a huge problem these days. I think the reason why it's such a big problem is because of the drinking age," Lanis said.

Those who want to see the drinking age lowered cite the fact that it would bring a lot of drinking done secretly in college dorm rooms out into the open, and promote the more responsible use of alcohol. But opponents say it could lead to more drunken driving accidents and more fatalities.

University of Arkansas officials said it welcomes the debate that the Amethyst Initiative is bringing to the table. But they added that the school will rely on other ways to combat binge drinking, including student counseling and other educational efforts.