Kids in college need the freedom to make their choices. Sometimes they make dumbass choices that can end up killing them. But guess what? If you tell a 19 year old kid they can't drink, do you think that'll stop them?

The best thing that colleges can do is to help create a safe environment where drinking can occur. Yes, that probably means that there will be casualties. However, making it 'against the rules' as opposed to trying to limit and control risk behavior is just like closing your eyes and hoping the problem goes away.

Since drinking at 19 is against the law, I disagree with "creating a safe environment where drinking can occur."

Though I do agree with amensty, shuttles to events, etc.




If you tell a 19 year old kid they can't drink, do you think that'll stop them?

The best thing that colleges can do is to help create a safe environment where drinking can occur. Yes, that probably means that there will be casualties. However, making it 'against the rules' as opposed to trying to limit and control risk behavior is just like closing your eyes and hoping the problem goes away.

I still believe that the drinking age should be 18.

Given that it probably won't happen, something struck me while reading KTSnakes post above. Right up to that second, I would have agreed with him.

However, what that says is that we're overlooking a lot of young people a making a choice (and giving tacit encouragement?) to break the law.

Ok, so we all drive a little to fast and break the law once in a while -- does that make it right? What kind of message does it send? How far does it go? What law is it OK to break? Where do we draw the line?

Or, should we not have a minimum drinking age at all?

Would you still say this if you got a call from the hospital telling you that your kid was just brought in and on a ventilator, or perhaps dead?

Some schools are made aware of students being sent to the hospital for intoxication
 

If a student, or his friends, calls the University EMS (a lot of schools have them) in order to be transported either to a hospital or infirmary, then a dean of student affairs is usually notified. Depending on the school's policy and the specific circumstances of the intoxication, the consequences might range from a consultation with that dean to a required class on responsible drinking. It's been my experience that the school's primary concern is the health of the student, not punishing underage kids for drinking.

That's why some colleges have the policy where you can call EMS or the infirmary regarding a drunk student without the fear of punishment. 15 drunk frat boys might be able to "check on" someone who's passed out, but if that person is brought in for observation overnight by medical professionals--it's a lot more likely that the person will be okay, even if he just needed to "sleep it off."

Better safe than sorry.

If yoour kid is struck by lightning do you try and pass a law to forbid any kid to go outside while its raining?

IF I thought you killed my kid, I might kill you, but do you pass a law enabling me to do it?

How someone feels about something tragic that happens to them specifically versus generalizing that out to all people are two different issues.

3 kids from the age of 18-21 dying this year on college campuses from alcohol poisoning is tragic, but not a general and far reaching health concern . . .

Unless you are the dead person, or their family and friends.

To go along with what i was saying:

" A single death is a tragedy a million deaths is a statistic."

The reason why alcohol poisoning gets so much press is that its so rare.