Choose Responsibility takes off
Former Middlebury president tries to lower drinking age

John O'Brien | staff writer
jobrien@smcvt.edu

Legal age 21, a law enacted in 1984 that cemented the national drinking age to 21, is a subject of praise or distaste, depending on who you ask.  John McCardell, former president of Middlebury College, belongs to the latter group.  McCardell is the head of Choose Responsibility, an organization dedicated to raising family awareness of alcohol abuse, creating a safe environment for young adults, while lowering the drinking age to 18.  

Starting the campaign

Grace Kronenberg, assistant director of the Choose Responsibility campaign, began her work with the group as a student via a research opportunity at Middlebury. Her experience at the institution led her to see the “dangerous situations” underage students engage in when drinking, she says.

University of Vermont students enjoy drinks at Nectar's downtown. Larry Frisoli, photo

Kronenberg’s role involves “dealing with public relations” for the group, as well as “reading hate mail” from those opposed to the group’s goals. 

“A lot of things need to happen and the public needs to be aware of this issue," Kronenberg says. "We do have faith and reason to believe that change can be made. We can improve the culture and create a positive form of change for society as a whole.”

The foundations of Choose Responsibly

The group began recently as a research opportunity following a 2004 op-ed by McCardell in The New York Times entitled, “What Your College President Didn’t Tell You.”  The article attacks various elements of student life in higher education institutions and states that “the 21-year-old drinking age is bad social policy and terrible law,” McCardell says.

After publication of this piece, McCardell was approached by Julian Robertson of the Robertson Foundation, a New York-based grant organization, who was interested in investigating the negative repercussions of the Legal Age 21 law.

“[Robertson] shared the concern for this problem which receives very little attention,” McCardell says.   

In September 2006, McCardell and his team published "The Effects of the 21 Year-Old Drinking Age: A White Paper" to positive reviews, and investments were made to found the group. 

“I think this is a very serious issue,” McCardell says.  “I saw this both as a college president and as a parent.” 

McCardell’s chief reasoning behind allowing introduction to this responsibility at younger ages stems from a concern for college students finding various ways to drink “behind closed doors” and in unsafe situations. 

“It’s not a problem that disappears when one turns 21, McCardell says. “Raising the age is not the best way."

MADD about Choose Responsibility

“As you get older you deserve more responsibilities,” St. Michael’s first-year Alex Greene says. “You’re allowed to vote, you can go to war, and I think with that drinking could be or should be a part of that as well.” 

While Greene and his friends agree that the age should be lowered, a substantial organization with similar goals to Choose Responsibility is opposing them.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is an organization that publicly opposes the goals of Choose Responsibility.  According to the organization's Web site, MADD advocates the education and prevention of alcohol-related fatalities, but insists there are a great deal of reasons the legal age of consumption should remain 21. They also claim that alcohol-related fatalities have been reduced since Legal Age 21 passed. 

Choose Responsibly takes a different stance on this issue, however and says that fatalities may have been decreasing before the law passed, Kronenberg says.  

“A lot of factors may have contributed,” Kronenberg says.  “The cause of decline may also be on account of raised public awareness because of advocacy groups.” 

Kronenberg says an increase in vehicle safety around the same time Legal Age 21 was passed may have reduced the number of drunk driving related fatalities. 

“This organization only focuses on one aspect; drunk driving, which is only a part of the problem,” says McCardell on the subject of MADD.  “It’s like driving down the road with only one eye open.  We can’t just ignore the 1,000 18 to 24-year-olds that die off the highway every year because of alcoholism.”