The Brown & White

President Gast has said that she has no interest in signing the Amethyst Initiative, a movement that started in July 2008 to open up discussion about lowering the U.S. drinking age.

The initiative has achieved some momentum on Lehigh's campus recently, with a Student Senate petition to Gast already getting 800 student signatures. Supporters hope to reach 1,000 by the end of the semester.

Although committing a signature to the initiative only indicates an interest in conversation about lowering the drinking age, some, like Gast, assume that a signature is a show of support for lowering the drinking age.

Giving a signature seems like a big commitment if this is the case. Because the initiative is so narrowly focused on just the drinking age, it may be intimidating to show outright support or disagreement.

This narrow focus is understandably daunting. It's been assumed that the drinking age should be lowered to 18 years old, a big drop from 21.

The issue at hand seems to require a bit more than "yes, the drinking age should be lowered" or "no, it shouldn't." There are a lot of issues and problems surrounding drinking that currently factor into how students use and abuse alcohol.

Perhaps signing the Amethyst Initiative should signify a willingness to discuss numerous issues related to underage drinking, with the drinking age being only one of several. If the focus became more general, it would certainly be worthy of a college president's signature.

Drunk driving, binge drinking, and even the bar entrance age should become considerations for conversation. All are issues that remain prevalent on college campuses and are factors in students' drinking habits.

If the initiative's focus expanded beyond ultimately supporting lowering the drinking age or not, it could become a bit less intimidating to sign. Perhaps then some real progress could be made toward combating alcohol abuse.