Jimmy Soni (“Welcome to Durham” August 26, 2005) makes some excellent points about the history of Durham, but the references to “frustration, pity, and fear” of Durham concern me. Current Duke students should keep in mind that Durham is called home by a wide variety of people including many alumni, like myself.
As in any large city, there are parts that have been harder hit by economic realities, but that shouldn’t be generalized to the entire city. The Triangle is often called one of the best places to live in the United States (Money Magazine called it the best in 2000).
Please try and take advantage of opportunities you get to really explore the area and not just where you can walk to. You might just decide to call it home yourself someday.
Chris Wilson
Pratt ’94
Repeal the 21-year-old drinking age
The alcohol “problems” at Duke and other universities are the direct result of a bad law that ought to be changed. It is natural for young adults in the 18 to 21 age bracket to explore adult lifestyle options, including alcohol. It is important that these young adults drink moderately and responsibly, or not at all-—just as it is for adults of all ages. But they cannot demonstrate this responsibility for moderation while the minimum drinking age is 21. These young adults, who are held accountable for voting, serving in the armed forces, social behavior (including capital crimes) and many other issues, do not have the legal right to decide how much, if any, alcohol to consume.
The “21 Law” was adopted in all states during the 1980s under pressure from the Ronald Reagan administration. This law is short-sighted and creates far more problems than it solves. The minimal drinking age should be lowered to 18, and many knowledgeable people, including distinguished university presidents, share this opinion.
One of the major proponents of the 21 Law was Sen. Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C., a Duke alumna, who was a member of the Reagan cabinet. Sen. Dole was largely responsible for fixing the drinking age at 21.
I think that The Chronicle should publish an interview with Sen. Dole to obtain a better understanding of the rationale for her opinions and actions on this issue. I also think that Duke should assume a leadership role in the political process of changing this fallacious law, which is discriminatory to young adults.
Mac Phillips
Trinity ’76
Huntsville, AL
Students should fight drinking law
In its editorial about undergraduate social life and recent actions of North Carolina’s Alcohol Law Enforcement (August 29, 2005), The Chronicle asked, “Where will we go?” My advice to undergrads is this: You should go to the legislature. The law makes it illegal for you to drink, but laws are made by people and can be changed by people. Instead of wasting your time protesting political causes that have no relevance to your lives, why not make this the time for a campaign to restore the drinking age to 18? If ALE has you down, just remember that they work for you and that your taxes pay for their sting operations. If you want to fire them, maybe you should call your legislators and start the ball rolling. Sure, it may not work—but why not try?
Brian Coggins
Trinity ’03
Biology ’10
Duke needs to change alcohol policy
The 194 citations off East Campus of Duke students for alcohol violations this past weekend should open up the eyes of the Duke administration to the problem they are creating. By breaking up parties on West Campus and continually putting fraternities on probation for simple alcohol violations, the University is creating an environment where a significant percentage of their future graduates have needless legal issues and potential criminal records. Larry Moneta, vice president for student affairs said: “We are not going to be open to large numbers of underage students drinking on campus. What we need is a redefinition of social life.”
Any definition of social life that is not open to “large numbers of underage students drinking on campus” is destined to fail and simply push students off campus and to bars to drink. College students of any age are going to drink! If they can’t get alcohol on West (because the Duke administration won’t allow it) or at bars (because of the risk of ALE agents arresting them), they will sneak handles of alcohol into their freshmen dorms and take several shots before they go out. This is the least healthy and least responsible way for kids to experiment with alcohol.
If Duke allowed a vibrant social scene on West Campus, complete with alcohol without risk of citation, then students wouldn’t be forced to seek dangerous ways to have a few drinks. Instead, they would be forced to wait in lines to get beers and face massive crowds to wade through, keeping the pace of alcohol consumption contained. Obviously the law of the United States states that people under the age of 21 cannot drink or possess alcohol. Discussion of the law aside, many top notch schools, including Harvard, Yale, Williams and Middlebury and countless others, have found ways to relax on campus enforcement of these laws, allowing their students to drink alcohol in a safe and fun manner. By vehemently opposing underage alcohol consumption on campus, Duke is putting its students in riskier situations for getting arrested as well as drinking way too much hard alcohol.
Robert Fox
Trinity ’06
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