The Arkansas Project

UA Won’t Join Lower Drinking Age Push

By David Kinkade - August 20, 2008 4:09 pm

Yesterday, I took note of a movement afoot among some college presidents calling for a “debate” on lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18, with the stated goal of reducing binge drinking. I speculated aloud as to whether any Arkansas colleges would join the push.

Today, a 40/29 reporter in Fayetteville does what I was too lazy busy to do, which is ask the University of Arkansas if they’ll join. A UA spokesman responds with a decisive ‘no’:

“With all due respect, these are people who have seriously studied a problem on their campus and they think this is a good solution to it. We disagree,” said Steve Voorhies, manager of media relations for the University of Arkansas.

The national group’s aim is to fight the rampant binge drinking now found on campuses across the country. Voorhies said the University of Arkansas shared that goal, but wants to pursue it using different methods.

“Aside from alcoholism permitted, we don’t think it’s the answer to the problem of binge drinking,” Voorhies said.