Casteen not convinced on lowering drinking age

University of Virginia President John T. Casteen III said he’s not convinced that lowering the drinking age to 18 won’t have a negative impact.

His comments came after 128 university and college presidents nationwide were chided about coming under a banner known as the “Amethyst Initiative” that advocates a discussion centered on lowering the legal age from 21.

“I don’t know whether I’ll eventually sign it or not,” Casteen told a group of incoming first-year students last weekend. “It depends on whether they are able to develop and publish the evidence to prove there’s not a negative difference in the impact on young people. I’m not at this point persuaded that they have all their facts on the table.”

Mothers Against Drunk Driving has come out against discussing the change, citing that since the drinking age was raised to 21 in 1984 more than 25,000 lives have been saved.

AAA Mid-Atlantic has also come out against discussing a lowered age while saying the group respected that higher education officials were trying to find ways to educate students about drinking responsibly.

“It is hard to comprehend why intelligent and educated people, who lead institutions of higher learning and are charged with helping make leaders of tomorrow, believe that lowering the drinking age is a good idea,” AAA spokeswoman Martha Mead said in a news release.

Presidents of five Virginia schools are listed as having signed on with the Amethyst Initiative: Hampden-Sydney College, Hollins University, Randolph-Macon College, Sweet Briar College and Washington & Lee University. All five are private schools.