Author: Alex Zeldin
In 2008, Occidental College President Robert A. Skotheim signed a pledge in full support of the Amethyst Initiative. The Amethyst Initiative is an agreement among selected U.S. college presidents and chancellors that in July 2008 started a campaign that urged colleges and universities to rethink the United States’ drinking age of 21.
The pledge states that, “Alcohol education that mandates abstinence as the only legal option has not resulted in significant constructive behavioral change among our students.” Further, the pledge asks lawmakers “to invite new ideas about the best ways to prepare young adults to make responsible decisions about alcohol”.
Since then, Occidental’s alcohol policy has reflected nothing but the opposite. In fact, certain passages have done nothing but contradict the theme of the Amethyst Initiative. In the student handbook, the College’s policy states that, “Students under the age of 21 may not possess or consume alcohol. A state of intoxication implies consumption,” which is a stark contradiction to the pledge’s ideal that “Twenty-one is not working” and has lead to “A culture of dangerous, clandestine binge-drinking.”
There is a clear difference between supporting a dialogue regarding a decrease in the drinking age and actually breaking California State Law by allowing underage students to drink. The College’s policy has indicated nothing but full support of the current legal drinking age, which contradicts its status as an Amethyst signatory.
The College’s handbook states that, “Students under the age of 21 may not be in the presence of unsealed and/or open containers of alcohol except at officially registered Student Life or College events where a licensed bartender is present.” This policy not only goes against the notion of implementing a more relaxed alcohol policy, but makes students unprepared for the real world. In everyday situations individuals under the age of 21 are in positions where alcohol is present, whether it be a in restaurant, at baseball game, or a Bar Mitzvah. Developing the ability to refrain from alcohol consumption when in its presence is an important life skill that can easily be developed as part of a college residence hall experience. In addition to explicitly calling for a lowered drinking age, the Amethyst Initiative urges consideration of a generally more liberal alcohol policy, advocating a policy of moderation rather than prohibition. It is pretty clear that Occidental is not moving in that direction, and that is clear from more than just the stated policy.
If banning students under 21 from being near alcohol is a form of supporting a relaxed attitude toward alcohol, then we ought to show our support for the football team by banning footballs, helmets, pads, cleats and any field that is larger than nine square feet.
There are many additional pieces of evidence to suggest how destructive and hypocritical the alcohol policy at Occidental is, but it would require cutting down every tree in Sequoia National Park to gather the paper to do so. Instead the college and every student concerned about the alcohol policy should read the Amethyst Initiative for themselves and make their own conclusions based on Amethyst’s findings.
Occidental needs to emphasize the importance of education and moderation regarding alcohol, rather than being unrealistic about students’ behavior. If this does not change soon, more people will choose to live off campus, out of Campus Safety’s range, which will lead to drunk driving and other forms of dangerous behavior. While College policy in no way should be used to justify drunk driving, it is a sad and odious fact that when students live farther from campus the temptation to drive under the influence becomes greater.
As far as the College’s policy is concerned, it needs to do one of two things. Either recognize that the college has faced more hospitalizations since the current alcohol policy was initiated and draft a new policy that leads by example, or take their name off the pledge and join the company of notoriously dry schools like Brigham Young University, Pepperdine Univeristy and Bob Jones University.
Alex Zeldin is a senior AHVA major. He can be reached at zeldin@oxy.edu.
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