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Cornell U. Administrators Say 18-to-drink Is A Bad Idea

This story was written by Ayala Falk, Cornell Daily Sun


Seven administrators told the Cornell University Student Assembly yesterday that they're against lowering the drinking age to 18.

The assembly invited them to speak on the Amethyst Initiative, which gained national attention late this summer when more than 100 college and university presidents petitioned to tell legislators to lower the drinking age.

The administrators argued that the drinking age is a health issue. Tim Marchell, director of Gannett Health Services, referred to national statistics supporting the current drinking age. For example, national fatalities are reduced by 11 percent because of the older legal drinking age.

The scientific evidence is compelling, he said.

Allen Bova, director of Risk Management and Insurance, agreed. Every death, every sexual assault, confirms that opinion that students under 21 should not consume alcohol, he said.

The conversation focused on the problem of binge drinking on college campuses, which the Amethyst Initiative has shed light over the past few months. Although recognizing the hazard, S.A. members questioned panelists on issues of rights and personal choices.

Representative Vincent Andrews 11 questioned why 18 year olds are allowed to vote, go to war, take out college loans, but they are not able to drink. How is such a law able to exist? he asked.

Tony Miller 10, S.A. vice president of internal operations, mirrored this view. He said, We are adults, we have the right to make mistakes. Isnt that a right we have?

Panelists did not dwell on the issue of rights. Although Marchell expressed some sympathy about inconsistent laws, Bova said it like it is: Lifes not fair.

Prof. William Sonnenstuhl, international labor relations, and the only non-administrative member of the panel, agreed. Youre not going to win the day by talking about your individual rights. This has been framed as a public health issue. The way to win the day, the way to come out of this in a different place is to address the issue of the binge drinking culture. Demonstrate to your elected officials that you can be responsible and control it.

Marchell acknowledged that even with the current drinking age, it is necessary that people within the community work to find solutions to binge drinking. Referring to Slope Day, a day many think of as not much more than a day to get drunk, he said the community has worked over the past few years to bring drinking under control.

The Amethyst Initiative was created by a group of college presidents in June with the goal of inciting discussion about the effectiveness of the current drinking age. In August, 129 presidents of colleges and universities around the country had signed the initiative supporting an investigation to lower the drinking age back to 18. President David Skorton did not sign the initiative.

But as Marchell said, Skorton most likely had no intention of terminating a healthy exchange of ideas such as the one yesterday afternoon.

I feel really good about the fact that students are willing to be involved and participate in an open dialogue about these issues rather than just sitting and grumbling quietly to themselves, said Judicial Administrator Mary Beth Grant.

Although many were happy with the panel, S.A. Representative Asa Craig 11 was surprised by the lack of student turnout with fewer than 10 non-S.A. student attendees. He said he expected students to turn up to protest Skortons refusal to sign the Amethyst Initiative.

S.A. President Ryan Lavin 09 felt that the panel provided the open forum to discuss the Amethyst Initiative that was needed. He said he does not think that the views of the panelsts should be viewed as a correct representation of Cornell as a whole.

I think they were definitely looking at the issues from an administrative approach, he said.

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