The Amethyst Initiative Debate: Which Side Do You Fall On?

Madison, Wis.—December 12, 2008 — When hundreds of campuses joined us on December 12 for our online seminar The Amethyst Initiative Debate: Rethinking the Drinking Age, our presenters were able to address many questions.

But there were many questions – in fact, 60 of them -- that we weren’t able to get to during our hour-long seminar.

Not to worry: John McCardell and Brett A. Sokolow have written answers to the remaining questions, and we are pleased to be able to share them with you. Click here to see the full list of questions and our presenters' responses.

In this seminar, our co-presenters:
• Challenged the perceived success of the 21-year-old drinking age.
• Discussed the unintended consequences when colleges and universities strictly enforce this national policy.
• Reviewed the research on alcohol-related policies designed to cope with underage and problem drinking—those that work and those that are failing.
• Explained the reasons behind their shared belief that treating students as adults is part of the solution.

Full series of alcohol education topics

This seminar was the first in a series of three seminars about alcohol abuse on college campuses. This series, Preventing Alcohol Abuse on the College Campus, will offer insights, ideas and new ways to look at the large-scale issue of drinking among college students. For more information on the full series, visit our special website.

On February 17, we’ll look at an award-winning model for getting many constituents to collaborate in an effort to change the climate of alcohol abuse on a campus. Strategies to Decrease Binge Drinking: Templates, Advice & Lists will provide you with valuable information to move your alcohol education program in the right direction.

On March 19, we’ll look at a variety of approaches to alcohol education and see how to decide which would work best on your campus. For more information about whether to create your own program, purchase a program from an outside vendor, or something in between, you'll want to participate in Alcohol Education Programs: Purchase, Customize or Create?

If you missed the seminar and would like to purchase it for your institution, you can order the program in CD or print transcript format, both of which include the presenter's handouts.

Magna Publications is a leading publisher of newsletters and other information products in the higher education segment. Magna also manages onsite and online conferences on topics of interest to higher education.

For more information please contact David Burns, Publisher, Magna Publications, Inc., at 608-227-8109, or dburns@magnapubs.com.