The Courage to Just Say ‘Yes’
Today's wow: Dr. Frances Lucas
Because, you know, no one in their right mind would dare to support that. Sure, we can say it’s silly to send 18-year-olds into battle overseas but deny their classmates back home a beer. We can prattle on about the European ease with wine. But actually sign on for rolling the drinking age back to 18?
Not my college president.
Wrong — there she was, Dr. Frances Lucas of Millsaps College, right on the list of signatories. She joined the Amethyst Initiative, a group of college presidents who say the current drinking limit of 21 has sent the future leaders of America scurrying underground with their beer bongs. “I’ve learned it’s much easier to teach moderation and safe party practices if you can supervise (alcohol consumption),” Lucas told our hometown Clarion-Ledger.
Lucas presides over a Methodist college in Jackson, Mississippi. For her to take that kind of stand takes guts. I’m impressed — with her and the others, but especially with her.
-- Filed by Laura Conaway
August 20th, 2008 at 3:22 am
I don’t see how the 21-year-old limit and binge drinking are connected. Dr. Lucas is old enough to remember the 18 limit, and I recall keggers happening then too.
I also remember the bodies on the asphalt at my grad school, when the undergrads had their frat week. Really distasteful.
August 20th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
One of the blogs I read, Eschaton, made an interesting proposal yesterday that I think I can get behind: 18-year-olds can get drinking licenses or driver’s licenses, but not both. What this would mean here in Boston, where no one in his right mind drives anyway, all the college kids would take the drinking license, and they would all go to the bars instead of to the house parties in my immediate neighborhood. I’m okay with that.
August 26th, 2008 at 8:13 am
http://www.slate.com/id/2198522