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From the PresidentThe Sentry: The Amethyst InitiativeSeptember 24, 2008The staff of The Sentry is to be commended for their thoughtful coverage of my decision to sign the Amethyst Initiative, and for stimulating a campus dialogue on this issue through its recent reader survey. This dialogue needs to continue, and so I want to explain why I signed the Amethyst Initiative and clear up any misconceptions about what the initiative calls for. As the president of this university — and as the parent of college students — I am deeply concerned about the health and safety of young people. That is why I joined more than 100 other college and university presidents nationwide in calling for the country to engage in a serious and civil public policy discussion about alcohol use and abuse by young adults. Let me stress that point: The Amethyst Initiative does not advocate a lower drinking age. Rather, the statement that I signed asks public officials to “support an informed and dispassionate public debate over the effects of the 21-year-old drinking age” and to “invite new ideas about the best ways to prepare young adults to make responsible decisions about alcohol.” At one time, the drinking age varied from state to state. Some states set it 18; others, like Pennsylvania, at 21. But in 1984, a federal law required that all states raise their drinking age to 21 or face a loss of 10 percent of their federal highway funds. Though well-intentioned, I believe this law has had serious unintended consequences. By driving drinking underground, the current drinking age has hamstrung our ability to teach students how to drink responsibly and monitor their alcohol use. The result has been an epidemic of binge drinking and alcohol-related deaths on college campuses nationwide. Some people have questioned whether the Amethyst Initiative contradicts RMU’s own policies prohibiting alcohol consumption by students under the age of 21, as well as the decision last year by me and my senior staff to cancel Springfest. First, it is our right as members of a democratic society to question our laws and to try to persuade elected officials to change them. But it is our responsibility as citizens to obey those laws, and, as long as the drinking age is 21, this university will vigorously enforce it. Our alcohol policies are intended to prevent underage drinking but, just as important, to promote a healthy lifestyle and make all students mindful of the dangers of excessive alcohol consumption. Springfest undermined both these goals, putting our students and campus at severe risk. I want our students to be safe but also have a fun, vibrant college experience and enjoy the privileges of adulthood. The intent of the Amethyst Initiative is to discover how best to meet this objective and to address head-on the questions it raises for each college and university in the country: Does our campus have a drinking problem? How can we prevent it, and what responsibility does each one of us have? Which of our current policies are working, and which need to be re-examined? What does it mean to be a responsible drinker? We need to open these questions to a spirited yet civil campus debate. It’s what we do every day as a university — educate, research, analyze, discuss and, ideally, contribute to public policy. I hope you will join me in this discussion. < Back to President’s Speeches and Articles |
 
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