NEW^APER OF THE STUDENTS OF MEREDITH COLLEQE
VOLUME LXIII. NUMBER 7 OCTOBER IS. 1964
Drinking age battle
isn’t over yet
New policy for searching
rooms and vehicles
Those who think a.national 21-
year-old drinking age wil! become a fact by
1986 may scon have to think again.
Though federal legislation seems bent on
forcing tT)e states into adopting higher
drinking age laws by withholding 10
percent of their fed^ highway tax money
If they don’t, a number of observers think
some states won't comply. The/ll be for
feiting big bucks tf they refuse - a total of
$22 million for Wisconsin In 1S66 and
1987, for example- but some aralysts say
the lost highway taxes will still be less
than projected losses in taxes and fees as
sociated with lk)uor sales.
For students, however, the point is
Justice, not money. Bob Bingaman,
spokesman for the United States Student
Association, says the law is patently
wrong-headed and student associations a-
cross the country are geeiring up to make
thdr state legislatures understand that.
“On a gut level, 1 think it’s a d\^i rights is
sue,” he says. “How can you tell this age
group, *You can'vote. You can sue wxi be
sued. You can marry. You can serve in the
military, but you can’t drink.!? It's absurd!”
Bingvnan says his group and others
are consklering a cortstKutionEd change
to the law in court. The 2Sth Amendmwit
reserves controf of al^)hot to the states,
and critics see the coming battle over the
drinking aoe as a s^es’ rights issue.
At the U. of Texas-Austin, Rodney
Schlosser, student body preside, says
he expects the battle to break there in Jan-
u^. “I don’t wait to let the wf>ole world
know about all our bullets t)efore we shoot
them,” he says, but suggests the students’
general pisi of {ittack iMIl include lot)by-
Ing, educational efforts, and the drafting
of positive, alternative legislatk>n.
DWI LAWS THE ANSWER?
Schlosser points to the fact that
Minnesota's traffic fatalities increased
four-fold after raising Its drinking age to 19
Teens had no trouble getting liquor, but
took to the dangenxis and boring privacy
of their cars to drink it. It was only when
Minnesota paissed stiff drtvtrtg-while-ln-
toxicated or CWI laws thEtt traffic fatalities
began to decrease.
That's the kind of legislation Schlos
ser has in mind, and, in fact, the Tecas
Student Lot>by has been on record behind
tougher CWI laws for thte last two years.
“We vyould like to have a positive DWI leg
islation ready to go in January so legisla-
tiCHi can vote for something Instead of
just having to voteaga/nsf the 21-year-old
law," he says. Schlosser expects no troub
le in mobilizing massive student support
INSIDE THIS WEEK .
ARTS & LEISURE
PAGE 6
EDITOnALS
PAGE 2
ENTERTAINMENT
PAGE 3
FEATURE
PAGES 4&S
SPORTS
PAQEB
STUDENT INFO
PAGE 7
for these efforts. The law, he s^s, has
r^dsed their consciousness more thsn any
other issue in the last ten years hecajww it
directly touches their lives as defense
^»ndlng and other Issues don’t.
At the U. of WIsconsln^Eau Claire,
prasklent of the student body Randy Cur
tis says they're trying to mot^llze the sup-
pc»t of private business in fighting the new
law. ^udents have blanketed the su
permarkets In town ar^ all the bars on Wa-
terSt. with petitions, and they’re stumping
for a public awareness dub called "I am.
driving.” Participating bar owners agree to
provide free, nor>-alcoholic diinks to dub
rremberswlw. In turn, act as chauffeur for
the drinking members of their group.
Memb^shtps cost nothing and partlcipa-
tiwi, says Curtis, is high.
Mewvvhiie two researchers at Boston
U. are lending their support to the under-
21-year olds. Resevch by Robert Smith
and Ralph Hingson In the School of Be
havioral Science suggests that raising the
-drinking age has no effect on overall traffic
deaths or on the drinking habits of teenag
ers. “I think teenagers have been unfairly
singled out,” says Smith.
Smith and HIngson stifled fatal
crashes in the three-year period after
titessechusetts nrtsed Us drinking age
fnsm 18 to 20 and compared those patterns
with New York which did not raise Its legal
drinking age. They found New York fatala-
ties declined almost as much as Massa
chusetts. Moreover tttere was no reduction
among 16- and 17-yesf-olds, the group pri
marily targeted by the new law.
CONCLUSIONS FAULTY
The Boston researchers have serious
reseni'atk>ns about the conduslons Con
gress drew from the study it looked at in
drafting the 21-year-old drinking age
law.That study looked at statistics from
nine states whidi raised their drinking
ages, and found a 28 percent reduction In
slngle-v^lde, night-time crashes (those
most assodated with alcohol). But the
survey found only an 11 percent reduction
In overall crashes ~ a percentage statisti-
d«rts say could be accounted for by
chance variation. As Hingson puts it;
‘They have 'suggestive dait£^ but not ‘cort:
dusive evidence."’
The Smith-Hlngson study Included an
opinion survey as well, and from the an
swers to those questions, they conclude
that attacking teenage drunk driving
through Such punitlw l^isiatlon may
sirr^iy foster cynteism toward the legisla
tive process and a disregard of law en
forcement. At best, raising the drir^ng
age to 21 would reduce fatal traff k; crashes
by 2 percent, or 1,500 lives a year.
Ironically, solid data exists to prove
that mandatory seat-belt and airt»g laws,
which Congress has deferred until 1989,
wouldreducefat^atlesIS to30 percent or
a minimum of 1S,000 to 20,000 lives. Ai^,
-says Hingson, passive restraints do not
require enforcement to tse effective as do
both higher-drinking-age and CM/I laws.
[CONTACT: K>t Smith & R. Hingson,
5c/N>o/ of Public Heaith, Boston U., 90 E.
Concord St., Boston. MA 02188. Phone:
617-247-H6814; Bob Bingaman. USSA,
2000 P St. N.W., Rm. 300, Washington.
DC 20006. Phone: 3!^77&^d43.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: Meredith
College takes seriously its Honor Code
System. Upon arrMi^ at Meredith
OTilege, a student understands that she is
to uphold the Honor Code at all times.
Possession and consumption of aicohol-
illegal drugs on the Meredith campus Is a
serious violatkjn of the Honor Coda The
SGA Executive Committee reserves the
right to enter a student room or student
nv)tor vehicle In the case of suspidon that
an HwK>r Code vtolatlon of theft or
possession of alcoholic beverages or
Illegal drugs has occurred. The procedure
for room-motor vehicle searcfies is the
following:
1. The SGA E)»cutlve Committee shall
have the right to conduct searches of
rooms and-or nrtotor vehteles wrhk^h are on
the campus. After informing a student of
the general purpose for the search,
members of the Executive Committee or
other members .of the Executive Branch of
the SGA designated tiy the President of
the Assodatlon will request permission of
the occupant to search her room or motor
vehlde. If a student does not consent, the
Executive Committee reserves the right to
enter anyway. The search will be made
irrtm^lateiy.
NOTE: Honor Council Chair, although a
member of the Executive CCMTvnittee, will
not be asked to conduct searches.
2. Searchers will present the attached
document with a statement to be signed
by the occupant of the room to verify that
the room was searched acconjing to the
prepeired checklist. This document in-
ludes: a Occupant's name, room number,
d^e of search, names of searchers, and
checklist of places to be searched (i.e.
closets, desks, drawers, medtoine
cabinets, bathrooms, storage spaces,
ceilings, r^rioerators, motor vehides. and
personal effects.); b. Ust of items cor>-
Iscated; c. Space for additional comments
to be made bv occuoant.
This document will be signed and dated by
the occupant, the searchers, and the
Resldertce Director (wfien present)
assisting the search. If the occupant
refuses to sign the document, she may
state her refusal In writing. Any refusal to
^gn document will be noted on the
document.
3. During the search of an Indhrldual room,
at least one Residence Director should be
present If feasible under the dr-
umstances. If the searhers deem ad-
isabie, a campus security guard may be
requested to be present.
4. if there Is suspidon of several students
on the same hall, all of the rooms on that
hall may be searched.
5. Search of an entire hall:
At,the beginning of the search, students
will be Instructed to gather In the h^l
parior where the pnxedure for the search
will be re^ and explained.
At that time, students desiring to study
may be escorted to their rooms to c^jtain
their books. Students vWII not be allowed
to u% their telephones or the hall
telephone during the search for re^ons of
condldentiailty. ' _
After their rooms have been searched,
students may retum to the parior or they
may leave the hall.
Aft^ an entire suite has been searched,
the students in that suite rrey retum to
their rooms.
Students not IMng on the hall will not be
allowed on the hall during the search.
At least two ^klence Directors should
be present during the search vt^ienever
feasible. One will assigned to a designated
area (I.e. hall paior), wfhite the other will
be present in the room during the a::tual
[Continued on Page 4\
Damage deposit
by Cynthia Oiurch
For the first time in Meredith
College’s history a $50 damage deposit
has been required of all on-campus
students, said Charies Taylor, Vice-
President of Business and- Finances.
At the tieginnlng of the fail semester
students paid the $S0 fee to cover any
unnecessary dannage to the rooms while
living on campus. The fee Ml tie refunded
to the students upon graduation or with-
rawal fn>m school.
The fee was instated to help prevent
“abuse” of school property tiy the
students, said Taylor. “Once the students
are gone, you can’t hold them responsible
(for the damage). The fee will assure
students respect for the housing
facilities.”
“Instead of cleaning the drawers out,
students will take the whole drawer
home," Taylor said.
There have also been problems u4th
chairs and head tnards mlsslr>g. Now
students will pay to repairer replace these
items Instead of the money coming from
the maintenance fund.
Removal of-materlais from the walls
such as nails and putty will result In a $20
fine. The repainting or papering of walls or
woodwortf will take the entire deposit..
The repair of large holes from at-
ached bookshdves and cabinets will cost
$30.
The “schedule of charges" distritxjted
by the Deen of Students' office states
damage to fumlshings and room ao-
essories such as tfie missing of fumitura;
the defacing of fumlture requiring
refinishIng, and the replacement of carpet
^ telepfiones will demand the full
deposit each.
The schedule of changes also states
that “wlwi the cost for damage In a room
exceeds the maxtmuni damage deposit,
responsible students viriK tie requir^ to
make full restitution.”
Basically the same procedure wIN be
followed at the end of the school year
when the students check out. However, r>o
definite procedure exists now.
This school year alone, (Mereidith
College collected about $60,300 In darnage
deposits. This mortey will be placed in a
separate Interest gaining account. The
int^est made will be given to the Meredith
F^rents Association.