Elizabethtown College President Ted Long doesn't believe there is one simple approach that would stop alcohol abuse on college campuses, but he said that lowering the national drinking age could be part of an overall solution.

Long spoke at Wednesday afternoon's meeting of Rotary Club of Lancaster about the obstacles facing colleges when it comes to educating students about responsible drinking.

Long said that there should be more of an alignment between the societal approach to alcohol and the realities of college life.

He said that lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18 might help curb binge drinking if it is part of a collective web of community and campus initiatives to promote responsible drinking.

"It's not about just lowering the drinking age, it's about finding a partnership," Long said. "I support change in public policy in a way that will promote responsible behavior."

In August, Long was among 100 college presidents who sparked controversy by signing the Amethyst Initiative, a statement calling on lawmakers to consider lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18, saying the current laws encourage dangerous binge drinking by college students.

Long said educating students about responsible drinking is important because alcohol will always be a part of college life.

"The facts on the ground are that students look for ways to drink, and they always find a way," Long said.

According to a report by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, drinking by college-age students ages 18 to 24 contributes to about 1,700 student deaths, 599,000 injuries and 97,000 cases of sexual assault and date rape each year.

Long said access also is an issue because an overwhelming number of students who are not yet 21 are friends with older students who buy alcohol for them.

"Students have great solidarity," Long said. "They want to engage as friends together and have a common experience."

In order to properly educate students about responsible drinking, Long said, trust must exist between college administration and students.

Too often that trust is broken or never established, and underage drinking goes underground and off campus, and students endanger themselves by binge drinking, Long said.

Since August, 134 college presidents have signed the Amethyst Initiative.

While Franklin & Marshall College has not signed the initiative, Kent Trachte, dean of students, said the school is involved in ongoing campus conversations about the implications of the initiative.

Trachte said he believes the college presidents who signed the initiative have posed an important question that has not been answered.

The question, Trachte said, is whether lowering the drinking age would inhibit the ability of colleges to educate their students about responsible choice and the use of alcohol.

"There needs to be some more research and discussion," Trachte said. "But it's worth debating."

However, Trachte said, it is time to re-evaluate the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984, which raised the drinking age from 18 to 21.

"It's time to re-examine it," Trachte said. "It's pretty clear in my mind that alcohol abuse among college students is on the increase."

While colleges weigh the pros and cons of the Amethyst Initiative, Millersville University has denounced the idea as irresponsible.

In a campus newsletter this fall, Amanda Breaux, MU's vice president for student affairs, said there is evidence that lowering the drinking age does not decrease alcohol abuse.

"Supporting this effort would not be supportive of our students who are already struggling to make the right choices," Breaux said. "There is evidence that reducing the legal drinking age does not deter instances of alcohol abuse and that it leads to more cases of DUI as well as alcohol-related deaths."

Whatever a person's opinion is of the Amethyst Initiative, Long said he hopes the dialogue continues.

"Frame this as an act of citizenship, of rights and responsibilities … and what kind of citizenship we expect from each other," Long said. "The real objective is not what the drinking age is but what is responsible behavior."

E-mail: mpennino@lnpnews.com