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Show www.dailyutahchronicle.com 5 OPINION Tuesday November 29, 2011 CAMPUS VIEWS » Would a lower drinking age be beneficial? Education influences drinking maturity Legal age sensible for cognitive reasons O n your 18th birthday as an American citizen, you drink from a fire hose. In one day you earn the JAMES right to vote, marry and serve ,,, in the military and the right l..) LONNOR to legally claim yourself as an adult. You have already been given the right to drive a murStaffWriter der weapon for as long as two years as well. This onslaught contends that students under of responsibility emerged at an 21 with the current drinking unprecedented pace, but socilaw are more likely to engage ety declared you fit for the job. in dangerous binge drinking Although drinking from this partly because they don't know fire hose of privilege and rewhen their next chance to consponsibility, you are still denied sume alcohol will come. the right to drink from a bottle The Amethyst Initiative, a of beer. national group of university If you can handle the fire presidents and chancellors that hose, you can handle the bottle. contend with legislatures to A Russian proverb said, "The rethink the drinking age, has church is near, but the road gathered 126 signatures from is icy. The bar is far, but we presidents nationwide who will walk carefully." As long as agree that dangerous, furthey walk that road carefully, tive binge drinking occurs on i8-year-olds and up should be college campuses because of allowed to drink. students' fear of being caught Alcohol is no joke. It can with alcohol as minors. lead to health problems, longAlthough psychological term cognitive impairment, research shows teenagers impulsiveness, depression, anxiety, and, worst of all, addiction. However, many people argue that earning the right to fight in a war and take a shot in battle means you can also handle drinking. But war is not just about being shot. No soldier enters the battlefield camouflageclad and ready to fight — citizens must be trained to handle that responsibility, and the same should be true for those who wish to consume alcohol. The right should be theirs, but they should undergo proper instruction and education regarding the effects of drinking prior 21. Otherwise, shots from a glass could render injuries just as devastating as shots from a gun. Ruth Engs, professor of Applied Health Sciences at Indiana University, said her belief that lowering the drinking age to 18 was formed by more than 20 years of research on alcohol. She I are more susceptible to the cognitive impairments caused by alcohol, they are also more susceptible to the long-term consequences of marrying the wrong person, making mistakes in war and voting without proper understanding of political candidates. I am not advocating that all other rights and privileges granted to i8-year-olds should be postponed until 21 years of age. But the current drinking age would seem less contradictory if that were the case. Maturity should be the basis for allowing drinking. And educational programs can teach young drinkers how to avoid the problems that alcohol abuse can cause. The government could fund these programs through tax revenue from the liquor purchases. This plan would cement a lifelong understanding of alcohol's potentially dangerous effects in teenagers' minds. letters@chronicle.utah.edu n America, when a person turns 18 he or she is considered an adult, for the most CHLOE part. They can legally NGUYEN vote, smoke, marry, • serve on a jury, fight for ■■•••• their country and the list goes on. But keepStaffWriter ing the legal drinking age at 21 isn't about Young adults have inpersonal freedom of choice teresting minds. The more — it's about preserving you forbid something, the personal responsibility. more they want to do it. According to a Gallup But regardless of how many poll, 77 percent of Ameriunderage individuals drink, cans oppose dropping the it is not a solid reason to legal drinking age from 21 lower the legal drinking age. to 18. I stand with them and Lowering the age won't oppose lowering the legal suppress the desire for conage. suming alcoholic forbidden There is no connection fruits. It would simply make between the decision to alcohol more available to a drink alcohol and serving younger crowd. the nation. The military In 1978, when drinking recruits i8-year-olds beages still varied by state, cause they are not yet fully loth through 12th graders physically and mentally in states with lower drinking ages drank significantly developed, making it easier to mold them into fine solmore, were drunk more diers. often, and were less likely 4040 VIA 6/Pc num Coe- pi, co-4144 PloonksTim Cokill IP 1- 66. gmcr %droll .5 moire, A.ar Mips. emnrefigid5. g Li 14-- • 1/4441.447 Ve_tiur lt, AI bd. de nisdatc. cog sardalle ate WILLUS BRANHAM/The Daily Utah Chronicle to abstain from alcohol than their counterparts in states with the legal drinking age at 21, according to the National Study of Adolescent Drinking Behavior. In 1984, Congress passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act to penalize any state that allowed persons younger than 21 to purchase or publicly possess alcohol. All states complied. Bringing up the legal drinking has decreased the percentage of fatal traffic accidents for 18- to 20-yearolds by 13 percent. Still, alcohol-related fatalities remain the leading cause of death among teens and young adults. Keeping the minimum age at 21 not only preserves lives on the road, but also the health and wellness of the body. Any alcoholic substance in the body prior to full development of the brain can cause serious health issues and lasting impairments. Although a majority of the brain is fully developed by the early 205, the prefrontal cortex, which controls judgment and weighs risks and consequences, doesn't fully develop until around the age of 25. When complete judgment is not developed, people are more likely to engage in thrillseeking activity, such as binge drinking, and less able to determine the consequences of their behavior. Regulation based on age varies in America. You drive at 16, vote at 18 and drink at 21. Lowering the legal drinking age has already been tried, and rightfully reversed. Laws granting rights at particular ages take into account the risks and benefits of each situation. Lowering the legal drinking age to 18 would bring more harm than good. letters@ chronicle.utah.edu L_C LETTER TO THE EDITOR ADA services more than helpful Editor: I am writing in response to a letter from Mercedes Hunt in The Daily Utah Chronicle on Nov. 23, 2011, ("U falls short of ADA standards") referring to her difficulties and her negative perception of disability services available here at the University of Utah. I am a parent of a student with a disability. My daughter uses a power wheelchair to get around campus. She has lived on campus in both HRE and USA housing. She finished her undergraduate program this summer, graduating cum laude, and is now in a Master's program. Her success in college is due, in no small measure, to the services and support she has received and continues to receive at the U. HRE and the Heritage Center have been most accommodating, assisting with her mail, her meals, snow shoveling and the like. The campus shuttle on-demand service (for those with mobility issues) is her ticket to class each and every day. Her professors have been outstanding — helpful, accommodating, yet challenging her to be her best. The computer folks at the University Campus Store and at the Center for Disability Services keep her technology functioning. All of this is coordinated and facilitated by the fantastic folks at Disability Services. While my daughter has had her share of challenges getting around, and figuring things out for herself, she has always had the help and support of the U community. Does it "suck" to be a student with a disability here at the U? Absolutely not! Lisa Reader, Los Alamos, N.M. Letters to the editor should be sent to letters@chronicle.utah.edu . Letters should be fewer than 350 words and must include the writer's name. Letters from students should also include the writer's major and year in school. Letters from U faculty and staff should include department and title. Letters from alumni should include the year the writer graduated. All other letters must include the sender's name and city of residence. All letters become property of The Daily Utah Chronicle and may be edited for style, length and content. www. • ailyu ahchronicle.co On "Prof arrested for child porn' (Laura Schmitz, Nov. 28, 2011) News LegalEagle posted 11.28.11 @ 8:59 a.m. I think it is important to keep an open mind here. People are already calling for this guy's head and his job. I agree that there can be no tolerance for child porn, but as of now there is nothing more than an allegation. Think of how it would be if it were you in this position. A mere accusation can put your whole life on the chopping block, and here we are publishing his picture, and letting everyone opine about his fate. Maybe he is guilty, in which case, he should get what he deserves. But for now, I think we all should take a breath and let justice run its course. Rich posted 11.28.11 c 11:11 a.m If this guy were a football coach, it would only take a few decades for "justice" — this guy is accused at this point — not convicted. I think it is pretty crappy to show his picture in the paper at this point. What if he ends up wrongly accused? Oops — can't undo the fact that many will always perceive this guy in a negative light from now on. Kim posted 11.28.11 @ 2:29 p.m. letters@chronicle.utah.edu The evidence that has come out is very very damning and looks very unambiguous. Truth can be stranger than fiction but it really seems at this point that it is exactly how bad it looks. I agree that he deserves a full hearing and that the rule of law apply, but seriously the man is quite apparently guilty as hell. It really seems like more vile things will be uncovered in the course of the investigation. I have met him and taken a class that he co-taught and honestly he was always considered a rather creepy dude plus he had been known to say some disturbing things in classes and conversations. |