Hamilton College
Skip Main Navigation
Skip Section Navigation Office of the President Home Page Curriculum Vitae Alumni Review Profile Alumni Review Column
Fall 2008 Office Hours and Staff Senior Staff The Trustees List of Presidents President's Letter
Fall 2008 Community Reports President's Statements Response to the Senate Finance Committee Community Outreach Campaign
Contact Information
Office of the President
315-859-4105
 Memorandum

August 22, 2008

To: The Campus Community
From: Joan Hinde Stewart

Along with some 125 other college and university presidents, I have signed on to the Amethyst Initiative. Information about the initiative, headed by former Middlebury president John McCardell, and the statement itself, calling for broad discussion of the current 21-year-old drinking age, are available at the Amethyst Initiative Web site.

The statement does not advocate either lowering or raising that age, but rather asks for informed debate about the effectiveness of a law that is now nearly a quarter century old. My motivation in signing is concern for the health and safety of our students and the belief that it is time to examine the consequences of the 1984 law and to consider whether there are alternative ways of addressing the deadly serious alcohol problems that our country and our campuses face.

Even as we call for a discussion of the data, my presidential colleagues and I recognize the responsibility of our colleges and universities to adhere to the current statutes that govern the consumption of alcohol by students on our campuses.

I look forward to the debates and discussions that will occur around these topics.
J.H.S.