“I have been a dean on this campus since 1972,” said Associate Dean of Students Stephen Caldwell. “Alcohol was a real problem then and it is a real problem today. With the drinking age at 18, most students on campus were of legal age to drink (in 1972).”
1972 may be returning as the Amethyst Initiative gains momentum. The initiative is a collaboration of university chancellors and presidents across America who have signed a statement calling for a lowering of the drinking age from 21 to 18. According to its Web site, “Our experience as college and university presidents convinces us that … a culture of dangerous, clandestine ‘binge-drinking’ — often conducted off-campus — has developed …”
The statement cites more reasons for change including creating a correlation between drinking age, voting age and deployment age. Currently the statement boasts 130 signatories including the presidents of Duke University, Lake Forest College, Sewanee: The University of the South and the Ohio State University, where former Vanderbilt Chancellor Gordon Gee currently serves.
With new universities signing on at a rapid pace, the administration at Vanderbilt has been reluctant to make a pledge to the initiative. A statement from Chancellor Nick Zeppos reads, “The overall health, safety and wellness of our students are paramount … For any parent or college president — and I am both — this should be our ultimate goal no matter what the drinking age.”
Louise Hanson, director of the Zerfoss Student Health Center, agrees.
“Students need to be healthy and safe… I am clearly biased because I am a health care professional, but there are many health risks associated with underage drinking,” said Hanson.
Hanson, who has worked at the Student Health Center for the past 10 years, reported that the freshman and sophomore classes commit most alcohol violations and throughout her time at the Health Center, the number of alcohol related visits has remained stable.
“I am pleased to see the issue of alcohol abuse by college students being discussed. I would encourage folks to look beyond the drinking age and instead to focus on ways to address the problems the drinking age is supposed to resolve. We want to students to learn to make intelligent choices,” Caldwell said.
Approximately 5,000 people under the age of 21 die each year as a result of underage drinking, according to a study done by the National Institute of Health.
Vanderbilt’s administration has developed its own way to promote safe alcohol decision making through the creation of the immunity rule.
According to senior Aaron Malone, “I don’t think anything would change if the drinking age was lowered because the drinking age laws don’t stop anyone (underage) from drinking anyways.”
