What is the Amethyst Initiative, and why did Ripon College sign it?
The Amethyst Initiative (www.amethystinitiative.org) is an effort led by John McCardell, president of Middlebury College. Discussions with other college presidents suggested that the 21-year-old drinking age is not working in the manner it was intended, and that its unintended consequences pose increasing risks to young people. The statement suggests a signatory institution’s willingness to help lead a public debate on the issue.

Senior leadership at Ripon College is united in its support for an informed and dispassionate public debate over the effects of the 21-year-old drinking age. Since its implementation in 1984, we are interested to learn whether it has created a culture of illicit “binge” drinking that pervades nearly every college campus. While we do not advocate any solution or policy change in particular, we do advocate the kind of education and discussion that will compel lawmakers to re-examine the efficacy of the current policy. By signing the initiative, we are expressing our willingness to help lead a public debate on the issue.

Do you support lowering the drinking age?
Neither the Amethyst Initiative in general, nor Ripon College in specific supports any particular solution to the problem of underage drinking. We do believe, however, that the current law is flawed and untenable. Therefore, it is time to re-examine the drinking-age law in the context of its positive and negative outcomes over the past 25 years and determinine, as a nation, the age at which individuals can and should be held accountable for making responsible decisions. In a word, we support consistency.

By saying you don’t agree with the current law, aren’t you suggesting that students should ignore it?
Absolutely not. Ripon College has always directed significant resources toward enforcing the law on campus and will continue to do so for as long as necessary. Violation of underage drinking laws on campus and Ripon College's policies in that regard will continue to result in disciplinary action.

The families of current and prospective Ripon College students should know that we are very vigilant about enforcing underage drinking laws on campus. In fact, the degree to which we do so has increased in recent years.

MADD and other advocacy groups say that the Amethyst Initiative contravenes countless studies that show the 21-year-old drinking age saves lives. Does Ripon College deny the validity of such studies?
Of course not. We applaud and support the efforts of advocacy groups such as MADD and SADD, and do not believe that asking for a healthy and informed dialogue about the responsible use of alcohol on college campuses in any way opposes the mission of those organizations. Drunk driving is, in fact, a crucial component of the public dialogue we wish to open – but it is only one component. If careful examination of the law as it stands reveals that it is, in fact, the most logical solution to the problem of underage drinking then the terms of the initiative will have been satisfied.

There are many positive statistics based on sound methodologies that correlate with the increase in the legal drinking age. The Amethyst Initiative merely suggests that we weigh the positive outcomes of the law against the negative outcomes and decide as a nation whether the law as written is the best possible solution today.

Why is Ripon College the only Wisconsin institution to put its name to the Amethyst Initiative so far?
Promoting academic rigor and open debate on any issue is central to the mission and values of Ripon College, therefore to not support an initiative that calls for such a debate would go against one of the very principles upon which we were founded. That it places us at the center of a very controversial issue is, frankly, immaterial.

How do current students and alumni feel about this?
It is too early to determine the degree to which current students and alumni support the initiative. We believe that the overwhelming majority of our constituents will at least support a public discussion of the issue, regardless of their personal positions on the matter.

Many people will interpret this as an effort to lower the drinking age. Is that the real goal of this initiative?
Again, neither Ripon College nor any other signatory is advocating a particular policy change. All we are saying is, “Twenty-five years has passed – let’s get all the facts and determine whether it still makes sense.” Indeed, it is far too complex an issue to suggest that simply lowering the drinking age will fix the problem.

Now that Ripon College has signed the initiative, what’s the next step?
One of the first steps is already underway, which is drawing public attention to the issues at hand. The next step for us will be educating our constituents on our position and how they can help lead a debate on the issue. Eventually, we hope that the questions raised will prompt a careful re-examination of the current policy and, if change is needed, the cooperation of the federal government.

David C. Joyce
President