Binge drinking and alcohol abuse is an issue for intercollegiate athletics. According to an NCAA study, while the student-athlete population mirrors what we see in the general student body, athletes differ in that they have more erratic drinking patterns, including more periods of abstinence (48 hour rules, etc.), and then exhibit heavier drinking episodes when they do drink.

Another study by the Harvard School of Public Health supports the NCAA's findings. According to Harvard, male athletes binge drink 16 percent more and female athletes 19 percent more than their nonathletic peers.

In morning coffee this week, we made note of a petition signed by many university presidents and chancellors, calling for the drinking age to be lowered from 21 to 18. While not specifically targeted at student-athletes, the petition, which is an extension of the Amethyst Initiative, has inspired a national conversation about ways to encourage positive drinking.

The Amethyst statement reads:

In 1984 Congress passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act, which imposed a penalty of 10% of a state's federal highway appropriation on any state setting its drinking age lower than 21.

Twenty-four years later, our experience as college and university presidents convinces us that...

Twenty-one is not working

A culture of dangerous, clandestine "binge-drinking"--often conducted off-campus--has developed.

Alcohol education that mandates abstinence as the only legal option has not resulted in significant constructive behavioral change among our students.

Adults under 21 are deemed capable of voting, signing contracts, serving on juries and enlisting in the military, but are told they are not mature enough to have a beer.

By choosing to use fake IDs, students make ethical compromises that erode respect for the law.

How many times must we relearn the lessons of prohibition?

We call upon our elected officials:
To support an informed and dispassionate public debate over the effects of the 21 year-old drinking age.

To consider whether the 10% highway fund "incentive" encourages or inhibits that debate.

To invite new ideas about the best ways to prepare young adults to make responsible decisions about alcohol.

We pledge ourselves and our institutions to playing a vigorous, constructive role as these critical discussions unfold.

While it's encouraging to see university presidents trying to find new ways to combat alcohol abuse on campus, the simple act of lowering the drinking age will have little impact if the culture of binge drinking is not also addressed. Many college students that reach 21 still engage in destructive drinking--they may be legal, but that doesn't mean they are mature enough to make the right decisions.

Initiatives, like the NCAA's CHOICES grant program, may offer a better alternative. The $30,000 grants fund a three-year, campus-based project that integrates athletics into the broader alcohol education effort.

What do you think is the best approach for reducing high-risk alcohol behavior on campus?