UT held a student debate on whether to lower the drinking age to 18. But some are saying the event was a mockery.
In conjunction with Alcohol Awareness Week, the Office of Residence Life sponsored the debate Monday, moderated by UT President Lloyd Jacobs.
"This is one of the most important things that our society faces," Jacobs said. "It causes serious and significant problems."
About a month ago, Jacobs said he was not convinced that lowering the drinking age would have a positive outcome, but he has now softened his stance following the debate.
"I have moved very considerably in the direction of thinking that the drinking age should be lowered to 18," he said.
Many students voiced their worries that the debate wasn't given the respect it deserved.
"It was such an amateur debate," said Michael Noel, a senior majoring in communication. "It seems like it was done for like a C plus or B minus project."
The debaters were the first six students who came to the Office of Residence Life after requests were put out to the Alcohol and Drug Awareness Committee, student residents and students from specific classes, said Keri Mohrbach, the hall director at MacKinnon Hall.
"We did try to give them some background information to get started, but they did all of their own fact-finding and coming up with opinions on their own," Mohrbach said.
Robert Pollock, a freshman majoring in business administration, said he expected more out of the debate.
"The students were poorly prepared, and I had higher expectations from The University of Toledo," he said.
"[Debate organizers] were hesitant to get involved [initially]," Mohrbach said. "But we think most of [the debaters] did a great job. It's very nerve-racking to get up in front of a large group of people, especially with the press there."
At one point, Jacobs stopped the debate and requested all but one of the audience members in the first row move back, in an attempt to ease the fears of Shelby Henry, one of the debaters and a freshman majoring in social work, who appeared too nervous to make her argument.
"I think one of the strategies when you're in front of an audience, [it is] best to focus on one person," Jacobs said. "And it was my intention to help [her] focus on one single person a little bit. I think that everybody understood what that was about."
A member of the team opposed to lowering the drinking age, Samuel Watts, a senior majoring in sports management, spoke about the damages of lowering the drinking age.
"I feel that lowering the drinking age would hurt our society. Europe is even considering adopting our drinking age," he said.
The team arguing to lower the age to 18 consisted of Maxwell Gold, a freshman majoring in political science and public administration, Mark D'Apolito, a sophomore majoring in political science and public administration, and Lyntoya Carson, a junior majoring in healthcare administration.
"History repeats itself; we tried this with prohibition, and now kids drink in excess because they know they won't be able to drink every day," Gold said.
The students in support of changing the law said the problem with binge drinking among students originated because it is illegal to drink under the age of 21.
The group also supported the repeal of The Highway Act of 1984, which states the federal government will withhold highway funds from states that do not raise their drinking age to 21, D'Apolito said.
"The issue isn't actually as simple as just snapping your fingers and the drinking age will be lowered," he said. "The first thing that will have to happen is that this act will have to be repealed, because no state can withstand that much of a budgetary cut."
The supporters also addressed the issue that if 18-year-olds are old enough to go to war for the country then they should be able to buy alcohol.
"If you're mentally and emotionally mature [enough] to fight in a war, then you are old enough to enjoy an alcoholic beverage," said Graham Ellis, a freshman majoring in biology.
"I'm not sure whether it makes a whole lot of [difference], frankly, whether it's 18 or 21 … trying to be responsible towards [drinking], that's the really important thing," Jacobs said.
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