DiGiorgio says he wouldn't support lower drinking age
Nicole Smith
Issue date: 9/4/08 Section: News
Already 100 college presidents have signed a petition to lower the drinking age from 21 to 18, but President Anthony DiGiorgio is not raising his glass.
Amethyst Initiative, a group begun by Middlebury College President John McCardell, is seeking a decrease in the drinking age because it "has created a culture of dangerous binge drinking on their campuses," according to the group's official Web site. Presidents from universities such as Dartmouth and Duke have already signed.
DiGiorgio has not received a request for his signature, nor does he intend to sign.
He said discussing the use of alcohol and the dangers of binge drinking is valuable because it raises awareness, but he thinks the petition only offers a "one-solution response" and doesn't cause a "broader discussion" to take place.
"I have not signed this petition and would not do so in its present form because its premise is focused virtually exclusively on lowering the drinking age as a so-called answer, not on having the needed broader discussion and then looking at a whole range of possible remedies that might be worth considering," he wrote in an e-mail.
DiGiorgio also countered the argument that if students are old enough to vote and die for their country, they should be able to have a drink.
"Students are prepared through their required courses over the years to take on their voting rights, and those in military service receive a variety of special training before being sent into harm's way," he said. "We need a similar educationally based approach to alcohol issues."
Amethyst Initiative, a group begun by Middlebury College President John McCardell, is seeking a decrease in the drinking age because it "has created a culture of dangerous binge drinking on their campuses," according to the group's official Web site. Presidents from universities such as Dartmouth and Duke have already signed.
DiGiorgio has not received a request for his signature, nor does he intend to sign.
He said discussing the use of alcohol and the dangers of binge drinking is valuable because it raises awareness, but he thinks the petition only offers a "one-solution response" and doesn't cause a "broader discussion" to take place.
"I have not signed this petition and would not do so in its present form because its premise is focused virtually exclusively on lowering the drinking age as a so-called answer, not on having the needed broader discussion and then looking at a whole range of possible remedies that might be worth considering," he wrote in an e-mail.
DiGiorgio also countered the argument that if students are old enough to vote and die for their country, they should be able to have a drink.
"Students are prepared through their required courses over the years to take on their voting rights, and those in military service receive a variety of special training before being sent into harm's way," he said. "We need a similar educationally based approach to alcohol issues."
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