The following segment on CBS's 60 Minutes got me thinking about the issue in more depth. Take a look...
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I can see both sides of the argument but I am not going to be a fence-sitter on this very important issue. I tend to side with Middlebury's president in saying that the drinking age should be lowered but with this "liscensing" program in effect. President McCardell goes into much detail on his website Choose Responsibility and I would suggest my readers take some time to really look it over before making a decision. MADD provides their counterpoints as well on their website.
Many institutions are starting to set up "Good Samaritian Policies" to make reporting of underage drinking incidents more likely. Other programs, like AlcoholEDU, attempt to educate incoming students about responsible alcohol consumption as well as ways to enjoy campus life that do not include drinking. We know that students are going to drink, let's be sure that they understand how to do it responsibly. There is some thrill involved when students think they are "getting away" with something and if that were eliminated I truly believe we would see a decline in alcohol posionings.
Come the fall I am going to discuss the topic with my freshmen students and see what their opinions are. Since they are 18, it will be interesting to hear if they think it would cause them to drink more or less. Perhaps they believe that its a good law and should remain...I can't wait to find out.
1 comment:
I caught the 60 minutes episode Sunday and still feel like lowering the drinking age would increase highway fatalities. I have faith in what Pres. McCardell reports but also remember what it was like when the drinking age was 18. It seemed like not a prom went by without a fatal car accident to report.
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