College presidents from across the country may be calling for lawmakers to consider lowering the drinking age, but the Pennsylvania State Police have a different idea: They have announced plans to crack down on underage alcohol consumption.
PSP's Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement will increase patrols of campuses statewide, trolling both bars and house parties for under-21 drinkers.
"We're taking a proactive approach in attempting to discourage individuals from consuming alcohol while being under the age of 21," Bureau supervisor Stephanie Ebner said Thursday.
Ebner said state police are making a push to bust underage drinkers "Number one, because it's illegal, and number two, because it affects the safety, health and welfare of all citizens."
Additional patrols are being funded through a grant, Ebner said, although she could not specify its amount or say whether it was state or federal-issued.
According to PSP statistics, arrests of minors for underage college drinking have increased fourfold since 2002.
Ebner said the state police's move has nothing to do with a growing national discussion about lowering the legal drinking age. More than 100 college and university presidents have come out in favor of rethinking the drinking age, including presidents from such notable institutions as Duke University, Dartmouth College and the University of Maryland.
Susquehanna University President L. Jay Lemons' name is also on that list, available at amethystinitiative.org.
Bloomsburg President David Soltz said that while he thinks it appropriate to have a public discussion about the drinking age, asking men and women to wait until they're 21 to consume alcohol has saved lives.
"There is quite a bit of data out there that suggests the higher drinking age has decreased ... alcohol-related deaths," Soltz said.
A Bucknell spokesman has said the university isn't taking a stand on the Amethyst Initiative.
The Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement has nine offices across the state. The nearest, in Williamsport, will monitor Bucknell, Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, Mansfield and Susquehanna universities; as well as the Pennsylvania College of Technology and Lycoming College as part of its upped underage patrol.
Anyone under 21 caught with alcohol may be fined up to $300 and imprisoned for up to 90 days, police say.
n E-mail comments to dgessel@dailyitem.com.
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