Will lowering the drinking age solve the problem

Drinking on College Campuses Beer bongs, keg stands, and a million new drinks to discover, these are what college is all about. First-year students are introduced to a whole new world of parties that last until 3 a. m. and drinking beer for the usual breakfast. The week consists of concentrating on school for about 4 days of the week and partying 3 days. The money that was supposed to go towards books and gas to get home has been hoarded for the latest beer run or was used to get into the bar. This trend is getting into the habit of drinking as you enter college; it seems the two go hand in hand.It has become a rite of passage that weaved its way into the introduction of university life (National Institute, October 2002). Those students who never drank in high school seem to think drinking is suddenly okay when they start studying for their bachelor's degree. This addition of responsibility is then balanced by the act of partying. It seems completely absurd that students choose to dr ink while investing around $20,000 a year in school. It all starts at high school graduation. Drinking is suddenly endorsed, or protested less, by parents, coaches, adults, organizations, and businesses.When seniors in high school finally graduate, it is common for a party to be thrown in their honor. Some of these parties include alcohol, and we can be pretty sure it wasn't bought by the graduate unless they flunked a few times and are of legal age. Parents, other adults, and older friends supply the liquor and beer for the underage partiers. When the graduates make the next major step in their life and head for college, they are confronted with many opportunities to get hammered, sloshed, annihilated, drunk, inebriated, intoxicated, wasted, and totally smashed.Other college students re eager to help their young, new friends out by taking them for a trip to the liquor store. Since some bars are legal to those over the age of eighteen, it's not a problem getting served there either. The 21 year-olds are conveniently stamped for minors looking to spot a potential buyer. Since a minor isn't worried about getting served, the most apparent problem is getting to the bar. One setting of this national trend can be studied locally. At Buena Vista University, these same events occur, plus additional more specific examples.At BVU, thanks to student organizations and funding from the college, there is a free ide for all. The â€Å"drunk bus† is a means of transportation supplied by the university and Student Senate, an important organization on campus. This form of transportation is common on a variety ot campuses. Visitors ot The University ot Iowa can see they have buses run all day for classes, and they continue into the night to bring students to and from the bar. The driver at Iowa even sets up a disco ball and funky lights to make the ride more enjoyable for his late-night friends.The free ride is also a form of support for those consuming alcohol. Advertise ments for drinking are all over residence halls. The choice of wallpaper in many dorm rooms consists of beer boxes and fluorescent Budweiser lights. Beer and liquor bottles are a usual decoration in most dorms; theyre used as vases, piggy banks, candle holders, and candy dishes. Each time you walk by a dorm room, you see these things like a giant billboard in Times Square. For a student athlete, a game-winning shot could get him/her a free spirit at the local bar.Fans, bar owners, coaches, athletic directors, teammates, and parents have all been seen rewarding the athletes with toasts and celebration shots. These same oasts are given to college students on their birthdays, no matter how old they are. Fraternities and sororities also bring a drinking factor to colleges. They are known more commonly for their parties and ability to drink, than their community service and GPAs. Even though we don't have them on our campus, they are apparent at the majority of colleges and universities across America.The frats are known for their very popular gatherings where binge drinking is rewarded, and hardly anyone is sober. Sororities are known to attend these parties and Join in the festivities. Another factor that proves that college and drinking go hand in hand is the abrupt end of this behavior for most after college graduation. Most students buckle down for graduate school or the beginning of their career. This excessive drinking pattern does not continue. The tragedies occur when the drinking becomes out of hand.Some drinkers get into a habit of binge drinking. This has been defined as â€Å"drinking to get drunk† (Center for Science, March 2000). Binge drinking leads to passing out, blacking out, memory loss, and injury due to loss of mobility. Unusual and outrageous behavior can get you removed from your university. Even if a student doesn't normally act in mischievous ways, this behavior cannot be excused because of the influence of alcohol. Getting in troub le with the law goes on your public record.Around 11 percent of college student drinkers say they have damaged someone's property while drinking, and 5 percent of a college campus will be involved with the police or campus security due to drinking (A Snapshot of Annual High-Risk College Drinking Consequences, 2002). Other alcohol related charges include public intoxication, minor in possession, driving under the influence, operating while intoxicated, indecent exposure, resisting rrest, interference with official duties, assaulting an officer, and disorderly conduct.