As college students crack open their books, a new initiative may affect the age when they pop open their beers.

At least 130 leaders in higher education from around the country are saying the current laws for drinking have failed and are asking for the support of other university and college presidents.

More than 2,000 invitations were sent to presidents of four-year universities and colleges to sign the initiative, said John McCardell, history professor and former President Emeritus of Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vt.

Only presidents in higher education can sign the statement, he said.    

The Amethyst Initiative is a petition for a national discussion about whether 21 is an appropriate age for people to buy and drink alcohol.

The initiative does not advocate a specific drinking age nor to change the current law, which are common misconceptions, said Grace Kronenberg, a spokesperson for the Amethyst Initiative.

McCardell launched the movement in July 2008 when former President Karen Morse was still in office.

Morse chose not to support the initiative and President Bruce Shepard said he will support her decision.

“University presidents worry about alcohol abuse on their campuses,” Shepard said. “Different presidents approach these issues differently.”

A significant portion of college-age students, including 18, 19 and 20-year-olds consume alcohol, McCardell said.

Presidents of colleges and universities should understand their students’ involvement with alcohol because their behavior is easy to observe, McCardell said.

“It was created to bring public attention to a growing problem,” Kronenberg said. “Our culture [in the U.S.] is marked by binge drinking and drinking until getting drunk.”

Western sophomore Michael Lang, president of the Associated Students  (AS)Current Events Forum, said many people drink when they’re underage because it’s a matter of not getting caught, but when someone can legally drink, that excitement is gone.

“With the current drinking law, binge drinking is still an issue,” he said. “It’s rebellious to drink alcohol and it’s a thrill factor when you’re underage because it’s illegal.”

Eighteen-year-olds can legally wed, sign a contract, fight in a war and purchase cigarettes, but are not able to purchase or consume even a drop of alcohol.

“We can do all those things that require a huge responsibility, and yet lawmakers assume that we don’t have the judgement to take care of our bodies,” Lang said.

The U.S. already has more than enough issues to be addressed, and some things legal in the U.S. can be more harmful than drinking, Lang said.

“Twenty-one seems arbitrary,” McCardell said. “Thirty years ago, 21 used to be the legal age of adulthood when people could vote and make their own decisions.”

Shepard said the debate will not be effective.

“We can talk all we want, but it isn’t going to change anything,” Shepard said. “If we lower the drinking age, we’d see more binge drinking at younger ages.”

Lang said people would have to become accustomed to the law before it took effect.

“If the drinking age is lowered to 18, there is no doubt initially there’d be some problems, but everything would eventually even out to an equilibrium,” Lang said.

McCardell said he hopes the initiative will have several outcomes.

The debate should continue on college campuses and lead to the removal of the 10 percent decrease in the state highway appropriation, McCardell said.

The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 reduces a state’s highway funding by 10 percent if it permits anyone under 21 to drink.

States are not the only ones to get punished for underage drinking.

Police can issue a minor in possession (MIP) citation to anyone who is caught consuming or possessing alcohol under the age of 21.

He or she must then make a mandatory court appearance, said Lt. Steve Felmley of detective division and public information officer of Bellingham Police.

If the incident occurred in Bellingham, he or she is referred to the Bellingham Municipal Court.

When a person is issued an MIP, he or she is referred to the Whatcom County District Court.

An MIP is a gross demeanor, which can result in a jail sentence of a year maximum and/or a fine of up to $5,000.
University Police (UP) usually issues 2-6 MIPs per week, mostly between Thursday and Saturday, said Sgt. David Garcia of UP.

When someone is issued an MIP, he or she is often required to attend an alcohol education program, Garcia said.

The Alcohol and Drug Consultation and Assessment Services offers a risk reduction program designed to educate Western students about the drug and alcohol choices they make.

Many people don’t think about the outcome of drinking alcohol, said Elva Giddings, Prevention and Wellness acting director.

“The current law is not a big impediment for students,” Giddings said. “Making [alcohol] more available to more people legally may cause problems.”

Lowering the drinking age creates the potential for an increase in alcohol-related fatalities and accidents, Giddings said.

He added that the current drinking age is not a legal issue but a social issue, as well as a health and safety concern.

Drinking is a personal choice whether someone does it legally or illegally, but everyone should know what the risks are, she said.

Shepard said there are three strategies to deal with alcohol abuse: education, culture and consequence.

Students should know about the effects of alcohol and how it can lead to rape and assault in certain cases of excessive abuse, he said.

The final strategy is the enforcement of the drinking age, which helps eliminate many alcohol-related issues on campus, Shepard said.

“If the law is changed [and the drinking age is lowered], people may drink more because it’s easily accessible,” Giddings said.

Lang said the current drinking age law forces those underage to drink behind closed doors, which makes him or her more likely to abuse alcohol.

“Secretive drinking is a problem on most college campuses,” McCardell said. “It was certainly a problem on [Middlebury] when I was president.”

Currently, the petition has 130 signatures.

Two Washington schools have signed onto the list–Pacific Lutheran University and Trinity Lutheran College.

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