- Mothers Against Drunk Driving - Amethyst Initiative Underage Drinking Response

Leading Health and Safety Experts Agree: The 21 Law Saves Lives
University Presidents Misguided in Signing Initiative to Discuss Lowering the Drinking Age

“Drunk driving needlessly kills thousands of young people every year. That’s why I wrote a law to create a national drinking age of 21 and why we fight so hard to reduce drunk driving and save lives on our roads,” Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) said. “This small minority of college administrators wants to undo years of success – that defies common sense. We need to do all we can to protect the national drinking age – a law that saves the lives of drivers, passengers and pedestrians across the country each year.”

Maintaining the legal drinking age at 21 is a socially and medically sound policy that helps parents, schools and law enforcement protect our youth from the potentially life-threatening effects of underage drinking.

“I strongly support this lifesaving law, and will not consider any effort to repeal or weaken it in any way.” – Congressman James L. Oberstar (D-MN)

An estimated 25,000 lives have been saved by the 21 Minimum Legal Drinking Age, which is why it is so troubling that more than 100 college and university presidents have signed on to a misguided initiative that uses deliberately misleading information to confuse the public on the effectiveness of the 21 law. Read MADD's press release on the initiative.

“Lowering the minimum drinking age to 18 is both misguided and dangerous,” said International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) President Ronald Ruecker. “The worst thing any police officer has to do is knock on a door in the dead of night to tell parents that their child will not be coming home because he or she is a victim of impaired driving. Lowering the national drinking age would inevitably lead to more tragedies for more families.”

MADD, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the American Medical Association (AMA), National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Governors Highway Safety Association and other science, medical and public health organizations call on these college and university presidents to remove their names from this list and urge them to work with the public health community and law enforcement on real solutions to underage and binge drinking. Additionally, MADD asks the public to send physical letters to your governors or college presidents on the list asking them to remove their names from the initiative list and support the 21 Minimum Legal Drinking Age.

College presidents on the list as of 02/23/09

President	College	State
President Vincent Maniaci	American International College	MA
President Jerry M. Greiner	Arcadia University	PA
President Ronald Slepitza	Avila University	MO
President Elizabeth Coleman	Bennington College	VT
President Scott D. Miller	Bethany College	WV
President Bobby Fong	Butler University	IN
President David Wolk	Castleton State College	VT
President Mark J. Tierno	Cazenovia College	NY
President Carmen Twillie Ambar	Cedar Crest College	PA
President Esther L. Barazzone	Chatham University	PA
Interim President Frank G. Pogue	Chicago State University	IL
President John Bassett	Clark University	MA
President Anthony G. Collins	Clarkson University	NY
President James R. Phifer	Coe College	IA
President Rebecca S. Chopp	Colgate University	NY
President Robert Hoover	College of Idaho	ID
President Mary Pat Seurkamp	College of Notre Dame of Maryland	MD
President Frank Miglorie	College of St. Joseph	VT
President Richard Celeste	Colorado College	CO
Dennison Griffith	Columbus College of Art & Design	OH
President James E. Wright	Dartmouth College	NH
President G. T. Smith	Davis & Elkins College	WV
President Brian W. Casey	DePauw University	IN
President William G. Durden	Dickinson College	PA
President Richard Brodhead	Duke University	NC
President Joseph R. Fink	Dominican University of California	CA
President Donald R. Eastman III	Eckerd College	FL
President Theodore Long	Elizabethtown College	PA
President Thomas Meier	Elmira College	NY
President Jacqueline Liebergott	Emerson College	MA
President Richard E. Wylie	Endicott College	MA
President Jeffrey von Arx	Fairfield University	CT
President Judith L. Kuipers	Fielding Graduate Institute	CA
President Janet Morgan Riggs	Gettysburg College	PA
President Marc Scheinberg	Goodwin College	CT
President Sanford J. Ungar	Goucher College	MD
President Jack Ohle	Gustavus Adolphus College	MN
President Joan Hinde Stewart	Hamilton College	NY
President Walter M. Bortz	Hampden-Sydney College	VA
President Ralph J. Hexter	Hampshire College	MA
President Susan DeWine	Hanover College	IN
President Nancy O. Gray	Hollins University	VA
President Richard B. Gilman	Holy Cross College (IN)	IN
President William Brody	Johns Hopkins University	MD
President Barbara Murphy	Johnson State College	VT
Chancellor Leon Richards	Kapiolani Community College	HI
President S. Georgia Nugent	Kenyon College	OH
President Rev. Thomas J. O'Hara, CSC	King's College	PA
President Daniel H. Weiss	Lafayette College	PA
President Stephen D. Schutt	Lake Forest College	IL
President Thomas J. Hochstettler	Lewis & Clark College	OR
President James E. Collins	Loras College	IA
President Carol A. Moore	Lyndon State College	VT
President Leonard Tyler	Maine Maritime Academy	ME
President Thomas J. Scanlan, F.S.C.	Manhattan College	NY
President Richard Berman	Manhattanville College	NY
President Ghazi Darkazalli	Marian Court College	MA
President Tim Foster	Mesa State College	CO
President Stephen M. Jordan	Metropolitan State College of Denver	CO
President Ronald Liebowitz	Middlebury College	VT
President Frances Lucas	Millsaps College	MS
President Mary Ellen Jukoski	Mitchell College	CT
President Susan A. Cole	Montclair State University	NJ
President Christopher Thomforde	Moravian College	PA
President John Reynders	Morningside College	IA
President Joanne V. Creighton	Mount Holyoke College	MA
President Peyton R. Helm	Muhlenberg College	PA
President Randy Dunn	Murray State University	KY
President Thomas B. Coburn	Naropa University	CO
President Fran Voigt	New England Culinary Institute	VT
President Debra Townsley	Nichols College	MA
President Robert A. Skotheim	Occidental College	CA
President Lawrence Schall	Oglethorpe University	GA
President E. Gordon Gee	Ohio State University	OH
President Bonnie Laing-Malcolmson	Oregon College of Art and Craft	OR
President Loren J. Anderson	Pacific Lutheran University	WA
President Phil Creighton	Pacific University	OR
President John Mills	Paul Smith's College	NY
President David W. Oxtoby	Pomona College	CA
President Robert A. Gervasi	Quincy University	IL
President Robert R. Lindgren	Randolph-Macon College	VA
President William E. Troutt	Rhodes College	TN
President David C. Joyce	Ripon College	WI
President Gregory G. Dell'Omo	Robert Morris University	PA
President Charles R. Middleton	Roosevelt University	IL
President Eric R. Gilbertson	Saginaw Valley State University	MI
President Pamela Trotman Reid	Saint Joseph College (CT)	CT
President Timothy R. Lannon	Saint Joseph's University (PA)	PA
President Arthur F. Kirk	Saint Leo University	FL
President Patricia Maguire Meservey	Salem State College	MA
President Paul L. Locatelli, S.J.	Santa Clara University	CA
Vice Chancellor Joel L. Cunningham	Sewanee: University of the South	TN
President Carol T. Christ	Smith College	MA
President Paul LeBlanc	Southern New Hampshire University	NH
President Beverly Daniel Tatum	Spelman College	GA
President Robert E. Ritschel	Spoon River College	IL
President Daniel F. Sullivan	St. Lawrence University	NY
President Harold J. Raveche	Stevens Institute of Technology	NJ
President Thomas Schwarz	Purchase College, State University of New York	NY
President L. Jay Lemons	Susquehanna University	PA
President Elisabeth S. Muhlenfeld	Sweet Briar College	VA
Chancellor Nancy Cantor	Syracuse University	NY
President J. Patrick O’Brien	Texas A & M University-West Texas	TX
President Robert Caret	Towson University	MD
President James F. Jones, Jr.	Trinity College	CT
President John M. Stamm	Trinity Lutheran College	WA
President Lawrence S. Bacow	Tufts University	MA
President Thomas P. Rosandich	United States Sports Academy	AL
Chancellor Robert C. Holub	University of Massachusetts--Amherst	MA
Chancellor John P. Keating	University of Wisconsin--Parkside	WI
President Walter Harrison	University of Hartford	CT
President Jennifer Hunter-Cevera	University of Maryland-Biotechnology Institute	MD
President C.D. Mote Jr.	University of Maryland--College Park	MD
President Jack M. Wilson	University of Massachusetts System	MA
President George M. Dennison	University of Montana-Missoula	MT
President Steven H. Kaplan	University of New Haven	CT
President Louis Agnese Jr.	University of the Incarnate Word	TX
Chancellor William E. Kirwan	University System of Maryland	MD
President Geoffrey Shields	Vermont Law School	VT
Chancellor Robert Clarke	Vermont State Colleges	VT
President Ty Handy	Vermont Technical College	VT
President Charles W. Steger	Virginia Tech	VA
President Cleveland L. Sellers Jr.	Voorhees College	SC
Interim President William E. Hamm	Wartburg College	IA
President Tori Haring-Smith	Washington and Jefferson College	PA
President Kenneth P. Ruscio	Washington and Lee University	VA
President L. Baird Tipson	Washington College	MD
President Michael Bassis	Westminster College	UT
President Ronald A. Crutcher	Wheaton College(MA)	MA
President Sharon D. Herzberger	Whittier College	CA
President James T. Harris	Widener University	PA
President M. Lee Pelton	Willamette University	OR
President Lorna Duphiney Edmundson	Wilson College	PA

Signing this initiative does serious harm to the education and enforcement efforts on our campuses and ultimately endangers young lives even more. – University of Miami President Donna Shalala

College Binge Drinking

Access to alcohol on college campuses is a particular problem – where underage students drink because they can and they are in a high-risk environment where enforcement of the law varies widely.
More than 30 percent of college students abuse alcohol and six percent are dependent on alcohol – rates much higher than for young adults who are not in college.[1]
The problem of binge drinking is worse among college age students in college versus those who are not in college.[2]

"As President of the University of Rhode Island for the past 17 years, I have had all too many first-hand experiences with the sometimes tragic consequences of underage drinking. Thorough and thoughtful research on the impact of the minimum legal drinking age law has unequivocally concluded that this legislation has substantially reduced the number of alcohol-related motor vehicle fatalities, the leading cause of death among college students. Much remains to be done to further reduce the toll that underage drinking takes on individuals, families, and our society. Repeal of the minimum legal drinking age would constitute a step backward in this important work."
– University of Rhode Island President Robert Carothers

Solutions to College Binge Drinking

Enforcement of the 21 law
Sanctions for adults providing alcohol to those under 21
Changing the environment found on many college campuses and tightening alcohol policies on campuses
Working with local establishments in college communities selling alcohol to sell responsibly and to ensure those under 21 are not being served.

[1] Knight et al, 2002

[2] Slutske, et al, 2004; Johnson, et al, 1997

“We need to maintain this important law and the life-saving protection it gives our teens and others on the roads.” – U.S. Senator David Vitter (R-LA)

The Public's Perspective

We are not alone in our concern. The public strongly disagrees with efforts to lower the drinking age. According to a new survey released by Nationwide Insurance:

78 percent of adults support 21 as the minimum drinking age
72 percent of adults think lowering the drinking age would make alcohol more accessible to kids
Nearly half believe it would increase binge drinking among teens
More than half say they are less likely to vote for a state representative who supports lowering the legal limit or send their children to colleges or universities with “party school” reputations

“What is the evidence that education programs would be an effective replacement for minimum drinking age laws? There is none. If states lower the drinking age again, more teens will drink and drive and more will die.” – Adrian Lund, president of IIHS

The Science Behind the 21 Law

As one of the most studied public health laws in history, the scientific research from more than 50 high-quality studies all found that the 21 law saves lives[1].
Studies show that the 21 law causes those under the age of 21 to drink less and to continue to drink less throughout their 20s.[2]
About 5,000 people under age 21 die each year due to underage drinking. This does not include sexual assaults, violence and injuries.[3]
The earlier youth drink (average age of first drink is about 16), the more likely they will become dependent on alcohol and drive drunk later in life.[4]

Underage Drinking and the 21 Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA) Law – fact sheet

[1] Wagenaar & Toomey, 2002
[2] O’Malley & Wagenaar, 1991
[3] Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking, 2007
[4] Grant & Dawson, 1997. Hingson et al, 2003. Hingson & Kenkel, 2003

“It would be a national tragedy to turn back the clock and jeopardize the lives of more teens.” – NTSB Acting Chairman Mark V. Rosenker

Sign the Pledge in Support of the the 21 MLDA

Information about the Support 21 Coalition and the current minimum legal drinking age is available at Why21.org.

Sign our pledge and join MADD’s broad coalition of congressional leaders and public health stakeholders to stand strongly united in support of the 21 minimum drinking age.

Contact Your Governors and College Presidents
Want to mail physical letters to your governor or to college presidents on the list?

Print out and fill in the template letters below. Then use our reference lists to find the address for the governor or college president you wish to contact.

In the News

Week of December 7
Drinking at 18? It’s Not the Solution – Indianapolis Star

Week of November 30
College Drinking Initiative Dangerous – McPherson Sentinel (Kansas)

Week of November 23
Insufficient Evidence for Lowering the Drinking Age – Harvard Crimson

Week of November 16
NJ Lawmakers Tell School Officials They Won’t Lower the Drinking Age – NJ.com
Opponents Argue Against Lowering the Drinking Age – The Bergen Record (New Jersey)
Alaska Colleges Don’t Join Drinking Age Debate – Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
Drinking on Campus Addressed: Peter P. Mercer, President of Ramapo College of New Jersey – Courier Post

Week of November 2
New NHTSA Data Show Drinking Age Laws Saved 4,441 Lives Over 5 Years – Fox News
For MADD, the Legal Drinking Age Is Not Up for Debate – Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription required)
No Good Will Come from Lowering Drinking Age – Gazette.net (Maryland)
Lowering the Minimum Legal Drinking Age is a Bad Idea - The Valley Breeze (Rhode Island)
Society Should Be Cautious About Lowering Legal Drinking Age – MySanAntonio.com
Scientific Reasons Back Minimum Drinking Age – News-Leader (Springfield, Missouri)

Week of October 12
Beware the Amethyst Initiative – The Philadelphia Bulletin
Amethyst Initiative: No Support from University of California President – University of California Irvine New University
Experience, Science and the Drinking Age – Jackson Hole Star Tribune
This Columnist's Views Changed on 18-Year-Old Drinking – The Saginaw News (Michigan)

Week of October 5
National Safety Council Supports 21 Drinking Age – MarketWatch
Keep Drinking Age at 21: Manhattanville College Poll – The Journal News (New York)
Rochester-Area College Presidents Don’t Agree with Lowering the Drinking Age – Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (New York)
USC Upstate Chancellor Not in Support of Amethyst Initiative – University of South Carolina Upstate

Week of September 28
Legal at 21: Leave It That Way – The Washington Times
Keep Drinking Age at 21 – The Seattle Times
Lowering Drinking Age Would Hurt Teenagers – The Greenville News (South Carolina)
Alcohol is a Hazard to Our Kids: Letting Them Have It Sooner Won’t Solve Anything – Morris County Daily Record (New Jersey)
Keep 21: It Saves Lives – Columbia Spectator (New York)

Week of September 21
Lower Drinking Age Opposed by Experts – The Washington Post
Younger Drinkers Risk Ruining Their Lives – MyCentralJersey.com
Law Has Reduced Drinking and Alcohol-Linked Deaths – The Buffalo News
Alcohol Age of 21 Keeps Deaths Down – Springfield News-Leader (Missouri)

Week of September 14
Colleges and Binge Drinking – New York Times
Drinking Age: Keep it at 21 – The Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville)
NJ Residents Say Keep Drinking Age at 21 – Newsday
When Children Drink, America Loses – Jackson Hole Star-Tribune (Wyoming)
Coastal Carolina University Announces Zero Tolerance Alcohol Policy – Myrtle Beach News (South Carolina)
Cut the Drinking Age? First Let’s Learn Facts – Decatur Daily (Alabama)
University of Maryland Baltimore County President Rejects Amethyst Initiative – The Retriever (Maryland)
American Can’t Afford Consequences of Lowered Drinking Age – The Purdue Exponent (Indiana)

Week of September 7
A Lower Drinking Age Would Be Unsafe – U.S. News & World Report
Lower Drinking Age Not the Answer (by Mary P. Easley, First Lady of North Carolina) – Fayetteville Observer (North Carolina)
NJ State Senate President Demands Review of College Alcohol Policies – NJ.com
College Presidents Shouldn’t Tamper on Alcohol – Lansing State Journal (Michigan)
San Diego Area Colleges Oppose Lowering the Drinking Age – San Diego Union-Tribune
Lowering the Drinking Age is the Wrong Approach – Dallas Morning News
Arizona Fights Proposal to Lower Drinking Age – KTAR (Phoenix)
Facts Don’t Support Lower Drinking Age – Fort Wayne Daily News (Indiana)
Groups Oppose Drinking Age Reduction – Fauquier Times-Democrat (Virginia)
UNC System Will Not Join Amethyst Initiative Debate – North Carolina State University Technician
College Presidents for Lower Drinking Age Overlook Realities –Tennessean.com
Lowering the Drinking Age Won’t Lessen the Problem – The Indianapolis Star
Bowdoin College President Declines to Add Name to Amethyst Initiative – Bowdoin Orient (Brunswick, Maine)
The Statistics Are Clear: Higher Drinking Age Saves Lives – Syracuse.com

Week of August 31
New Jersey Senate President Richard J. Codey Blasts Move to Lower Drinking Age, Asks Congressional Delegation for Backing – New Jersey Senate Democrats
Keep the Drinking Age at 21 – San Francisco Chronicle
Colleges’ Misguided Plans for Drinking – Los Angeles Times
New Jersey Group Wants Drinking Age to Stay at 21 – New York Newsday
Keep the Drinking Age at 21 – Bakersfield Californian
Higher Drinking Age Saves Young Peoples’ Lives – Redding Record Searchlight

Week of August 24
Keep the Drinking Age at 21 – Chicago Tribune
Alcohol and Those Under 21 Don’t Mix – Chicago Tribune
The Right Age for Drinking: It Isn’t 18, Whatever Some College Officials Think – Washington Post
New Push to Lower the Drinking Age Clashes With Teen Driving Safety – Wall Street Journal
Should We Lower the Drinking Age? – Slate
A Lower Drinking Age Will Bring Bingeing Boom – Atlanta Journal Constitution
Lowering the Drinking Age is Simply Raising the Risks – Columbus Dispatch
Lowering the Drinking Age: Not the Solution to Binge Drinking – St. Petersburg Times
College Presidents Are Copping Out by Pushing an Idea to Lower the Drinking Age – Orlando Sentinel
The Age-21 Law Saves Lives; College Leaders Should Focus Instead on Prevention Strategies – The Chronicle of Higher Education (paid subscription required)
Drinking Age Debate Ignores the Facts – The News Sun (Sebring, Florida)
Keep Legal Age for Drinking at 21 – The Advertiser (Lafayette, Louisiana)
100 College Presidents Are Wrong – Ada Evening News (Oklahoma)
Age Restriction on Alcohol Proven Beneficial – WCF Courier (Cedar Falls, Iowa)
A Lower Legal Drinking Age Isn’t the Answer – Baxter Bulletin (Mountain Home, Arkansas)

Week of August 17
2 Withdraw from Petition to Rethink Drinking Age – New York Times
Lower Drinking Age is Criticized – Washington Post
The Perils of a Lower Drinking Age – Chicago Tribune
Mayor Daley Not Sold on Lowering Drinking Age – Chicago Sun Times
College Leaders Should Leave the Drinking Age Where It Is – Miami Herald
Arizona Gov. Rips Bid to Lower Drinking Age – Arizona Daily Star (registration required)
Lawmaker: Lowering Drinking Age Would Be ‘Fatal Mistake’– Baltimore Examiner
Drinking Age Call Draws Outrage – Baltimore Sun
Let Drinking Age Stay Put – Washington Times
University of Iowa President Opposes Lowering Drinking Age – Des Moines Register
Bradley University President Opposes Lowering Drinking Age – Peoria Journal Star
Minnesota State University Opposed Lowering Drinking Age – Mankato Free Press
Lowering the Drinking Age: A Really Bad Idea – Staten Island Advance
College Presidents are Sending the Wrong Message – DailyLocal.com (West Chester and Chester County, PA)
Local Colleges Are Not Signing Up to Drop Drinking Age – Naperville Sun (Illinois)
Lowering Drinking Age Won’t Solve Problems – Casper Star-Tribune
Keep Legal Drinking Age Where It Is – At 21 – Tacoma News Tribune
KU Abstains from Effort to Lower Drinking Age – Lawrence Journal World & News (Kansas)
18-Year-Olds Will Increase Alcohol Abuse on Campus – PublicOpinionOnline.com
21 Drinking Age: It Works – Cumberland Times-News
Don’t Jump to Cut Alcohol Age – NewJersey.com
Initiative Raises a White Flag – Centre Daily Times
Keep Legal Age 21 – The Columbian (Clark County, WA)
A Sobering Thought: College Chiefs Press for Lowering Drinking Age – The Tribune-Democrat (Johnstown, PA)
Times Are Not Right to Lower Drinking Age – Lancaster Eagle-Gazette (Ohio)
Just Say No to Drop in Drinking Age – Chicago Daily Herald
Lower Drinking Age No Solution to Binge Drinking – Burlington Free Press