Sneha Gulrajani
Some college presidents are rethinking the idea about lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18 to reduce binge drinking.
Some agree about changing the law but some do not agree because there could be many disadvantages to the change. President Robert Garber sees points on both sides but says if the drinking age were to change, then it should only take place “where it would be monitored and regulated.”
If a student at the age of 18 is considered to be an adult, is able to join the military and vote, should they be able to drink? Whether or not students can be responsible enough to handle alcohol at a limit and not abuse it is one of the many concerns people have. There is also concern about underage drinking and driving since there is the potential of students getting into an accident, or charged with a DUI. Luckily what you need to know about underage DUI’s is available to anyone who needs to seek help from a lawyer.
Garber does not think students at the age of 18 will be responsible enough and said, “It takes a lot to get there”.
Shamim Rehman, bartender at Islands Restaurant, said, “I think they would act responsible because they would not have to hide it.”
Mothers Against Drunk Driving strongly supports keeping the minimum drinking age at 21.
April Snook of MADD said, “This law has saved over 10,000 lives and over 67 percent support the drinking age not to change.”
Sophomore Estefany Ramirez, 19, agrees, saying, “I disagree with the drinking age to change because a lot of people are already dying because of drunk driving and students are going to drink more.”
Changing this law is a serious matter because it could either help our society or make matters worse. Many college students get killed because of drunk driving or end up in horrible situations because of underage drinking. This leads the individual behind the wheel to seek a lawyer to help them defend themselves when facing DUI or DWI charges.
Furthermore, if you ever find yourself in a situation where you are charged with a DUI or drug charges, hiring a competent lawyer can make a huge difference to the outcome of your case. For example, when looking for a criminal law firm in Springfield it is vital that you do as much research as possible to ensure that you hire someone who has the legal knowledge to minimize the ramifications of any legal action taken against you.
Whether the society gets used to this change or not, “there would be opposition”, Garber said.
Rehman says, “If the law goes in effect, I think everyone would just have to wait and see if it was a good idea or not.”
There is also a concern about students’ grades and schoolwork being affected by this. Will the alcohol influence students into not being at school or slacking off? Some believe it may bring a change or it may not, depending on the students.
“I believe there might be a little bit of a change depending on how the student would handle it,” Ramirez said. “At the beginning, they will probably take advantage of the alcohol and later it will probably lessen.”
Rehman disagrees, saying, “No, I think the students will take the responsibility and not slack off.”
This topic brings up many issues and concerns and it may be the right thing to do or it may not, depending how the society and the students will react to this change. There are already many fatal accidents already happening at the current drinking age restriction of 21.
This controversial issue will take many turns but hopefully at the end will be the right decision.
Mike Burns, 24, of University of Central Florida and Eric Butts, 21, of Columbus State, play the popular college drinking game of beer pong at the sports bar Happy Endings Sept. 14. (Lauren Karl)