University of Idaho - Gem of the Mountains Yearbook (Moscow, ID)

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С Е connection. Students did not confine their drinking to the bars. In April, Becky Mallane and her Delta Gamma sisters welcomed the Phi Delta Thetas with a sampling of the Breakfast of Champions. The pen is mightier. In early January, students work ing for the Coalition Against Rais- ing the Drinking Age (CARDA) solicited signatures on petitions to be sent to Idaho lawmakers Campus tradition. For generations, Mort s has been a favorite night spot for students And for Kyle Нагитеіег. Tim Scheele and Gregg Wernz, Mort s was the perfect place to unwind after a rigorous day of classes. Raising the drinking age could save lives, but could spell doom for local bu 22 Drinking Age

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On the go. After hours of riding on buses from their home towns. weary high school students registered with the Explore Idaho staff. They were busy from the minute they arrived until the minute they left. Girl talk. Wielding a microphone, Holly Rickett gave seniors a chance to ask questions. Not all the seniors, however. wanted to hear the answers. Instead, some were making plans for a busy social evening. Recruiting 21

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cross the nation, young adults from ages 18 to 20 sit at home watching Leave it to Beaver“ or “The Mummy on late night television. Mean- while, tumbleweeds blow through the bars. The only occupants are, unfortunately, too old and arthritic to dance. This situation is the result of the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984, and its ef- fects are being felt from Maine to California, in metropolis and hamlet alike. Only a few states still remain unscathed. including Idaho. Idaho, however, barely maintained its 19-year- old drinking age minimum, After a long and bitter debate, both in and out of the capitol building, the Idaho Legislature adjourned without resolving a pro- posed bill that would have raised Idaho's drinking age from 19 to 2L. The 21-year-old drink- ing age bill was killed by a 9-4 Senate committee vote. Although the bill failed to pass, the Legislature. never- theless, passed a second bill which allowed local governmenis to extend bar closing times to 2 a.m. The state's decision to keep the drinking age at 19 probably had its most profound impact in the university communities. According to UI area businessmen, the image of cobwebs forming on the dance floors of Moscow was not too farfetched. John Burns, co-owner of Murdoc's, thought the economic impact of thc law had been ignored. In a local editorial he wrote, Spending in Moscow by 19- and 20-year-olds is probably close to the $2 million estimate of Sen. Norma Dobler.“ But with the community-wide ef- fect of this loss the law could cost Idaho far more than the $13 million that will be lost in federal highway funds over a two-year period.” A side of the law that was not ignored was the effect of a higher drink- ing age оп traffic fatalities. Those on each side of the debate pro- duced statistics to back their views. Rep. Dean Sorensen, the Idaho bill's sponsor, said there was a direct relationship between the drinking age and teenage traffic fatalities. ‘‘Bet- ween 1977 and 1983, 21 states have raised their drinking ages to 21, and fatal highway accidents fell an average of 28 per- cent, he said. Sorenson pointed toa combination of inex- perience with alcohol and an inexperience with driving as the major factors in teenage driv- ing fatalities. Burns countered that of the over one million trips made on the Moscow-Pullman highway in 1985, only three alcohol-related ac- cidents involving 19- to 21-year-olds occurred. Students at the UI were between a rock and a hard place. Eager to take a stand on the issue but not wanting to pre- sent a bad image of students' spending habits, the ASUI Senate debated taking a stand on the issue. Ultimately, a bill against the propos- ed raise was approved by the senate. Most students were able to see both sides of the issue, but were against the proposed raise for one reason or another. | think it's a good thing the bill didn't pass, not just because I want to got to the bars, but because this town has a major industry built around drinking.“ said Charles Berwald. Thus the 21-year-old drinking age bullet was dodged for another year. So for now. the Garden will not have to worry about being converted into a Wednesday after- noon bingo parlor. Barroom battle. The threat of raising the drinking age was enough to rattle the Greek system. In addition to eliminating the drinking activities of Greek Week, men's rush became completely dry. And as Janet Stoner and julie Hedman discovered, these measures were employed to control drinking practices. Walk-in traffic. A fact students brought up dur- ing the drinking age debate was the significant portion of students who walk to the bars. Students such as Devin Dufenhorst were not traffic hazards when intox icated and on foot. Drinking Age 23