THE INTER-RESIDENCE ASSOCIATION GENERAL BODY THE UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT Resolution General Body Resolution No.: RF08-003
Date Submitted: 10/20/08
Introduced By: Student Advocacy Committee
Date Introduced: 10/22/2008
Date Action Taken:
Signed: _______________________ President Just
Signed: _______________________ Vice President Johnson
Signed: _______________________ Chair Glassman
Resolution in Support of the Amethyst Initiative WHEREAS, safety concerns are the reason behind the law rendering the right to drink alcohol the only right granted after an adult’s 18th birthday, WHEREAS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that underage alcohol consumption directly causes 4,554 deaths per year, WHEREAS, prominent psychologists, lawmakers and university presidents have provided scientific, legal and anecdotal evidence indicating that the 21 year-old drinking age is, in part, responsible for so many underage deaths each year, WHEREAS, these psychologists, lawmakers and university presidents have taken the position that lowering the 21 year-old drinking age would be a critical component of a plan to reduce the number of underage alcohol-related incidents, WHEREAS, the University of Vermont Inter-Residence Association strongly believes that the 21 year-old drinking age relates directly to the number of alcohol-related incidents on campus,
WHEREAS, assumptions about the effectiveness of the current drinking age and a reluctance to consider alternatives to the 21 year-old drinking age have sidetracked the drinking age debate from finding the safest and most appropriate age that an adult may consume alcohol, WHEREAS, the suggestions and findings of a serious, sustained and un-politicized debate-such as the one the Amethyst Initiative, headed by former Middlebury College President John McCardell and current founder of the nonprofit organization Choose Responsibility, would provide invaluable insight on underage drinking, which is a critical issue at the University of Vermont, WHEREAS, signing the statement does not constitute support for a lower drinking age or sponsorship of specific Amethyst Initiative policy or proposals, merely acknowledges an agreement with the ideals of the Amethyst Initiative, BE IT RESOLVED that the University of Vermont Inter-Residence Association requests that the Board of Trustees and President Fogel to engage themselves in any discussion that could directly affect the safety and rights of University students, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the University of Vermont Inter-Residence Association requests that the Board of Trustees consider and President Daniel Fogel add the University of Vermont’s name to the Amethyst Initiative’s statement, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the University of Vermont Inter-Residence Association trusts that, once the discussion on the legal-21 drinking age has run its course and all viewpoints have been considered, the University administration will begin reforming University policy to align it with the suggestions and findings of the debate.