Underage Drinking on College Campuses

The Problem of Underage Drinking on College Campuses
Underage drinking on college campuses is a controversial problem because, on the one hand, universities want to provide students with the kind of independent living and respect they feel they deserve; on other hand, universities must take care to ensure that students living in dorms on the campus respect the laws and do not engage in activity that could be harmful to their health or safety. The problem is that many students who might like to drink alcoholic beverages regularly but in moderation are compelled to hide their drinking because of underage laws. Driving the activity of drinking into an underground sphere, students take what should be a moderated activity and turn it into a “forbidden” activity that can easily turn into something dangerous. Parties where alcoholic drinks are provided and where binge drinking is encouraged (because of the underground milieu in which the party is situated) and made into norms (McMurtrie, 2014). Instead of the drinking being above ground and in the open, where it is more likely to be conducted in moderation, colleges are experience an avalanche of binge drinking excesses that is harming the student body and the campus morale.
The main issue with underage drinking is that because it is an activity that is technically not permitted, students are compelled to do their drinking in private. This leads to an atmosphere and culture of rebellion and irresponsibility. McMurtrie (2014) points out that because of this atmosphere, “more than 1,800 students die every year of alcohol-related causes. An additional 600,000 are injured while drunk, and nearly 100,000 become victims of alcohol-influenced sexual assaults.” The solution is not to crackdown harder on drinking, because that is what has driven it underground in the first place. The solution, instead, is to respect students’ desire to drink and to promote responsible drinking. To this end, the legal age for purchasing alcohol should be lowered to 18—which is the age at which people can vote and enter the military. If persons at the age of the 18 can be deemed responsible enough to make decisions about the fate of the country or to put their lives on the line for their country, they should be viewed as being responsible enough to purchase and consume alcohol.
By allowing students the right to consume alcohol in a manner that is above board, it eliminates the compulsion that students have to hide their drinking and to do it at binge parties where so much of the trouble starts. Throm (2017) states that by allowing students the freedom and responsibility to consume alcohol in a normal manner, colleges can better effect an environment in which responsibility is the norm: “Telling a teenager not to do something usually results in them doing it anyway out of spite. Telling teenagers they aren’t allowed to drink alcohol just makes them sneakier in finding a way to get it,” Throm (2017) reports. By decriminalizing the act, colleges can promote a better environment in which moderation is practiced.
In conclusion, the problem of underage drinking and binge drinking on college campuses can be alleviated by addressing the environment and culture that is created by too stringent laws on drinking, which drive students to engage in the practice in ways and places where there is no moderation, no emphasis on responsibility, and no expectation of being healthy. Students react to too stringent laws by rebelling against a culture that views them as children. If colleges and states would respect a student’s right to drink (since a student can vote and/or join the military), students would be less likely to engage in risky behavior when it comes to drinking; and, as a result, campuses would be safer places in the long run.
References
McMurtrie, B. (2014). Why colleges haven’t stopped binge drinking. Retrieved from
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/15/us/why-colleges-havent-stopped-binge-drinking.html
Throm, A. (2017). Lowering the drinking age to 18 is better than keeping it at 21.
Retrieved from http://www.dailynebraskan.com/opinion/throm-lowering-the-drinking-age-to-is-better-than-keeping/article_a28eef04-983b-11e7-9da0-8fbea1f03e90.html