Education needed on underage alcohol rule

Recently, I became aware of an alcohol-related incident involving a Penn State student.

The lad in question (age 20), who has a car, was asked by another student (age 21), who did not have a car, if he could drive him to a local distributor to buy a case of beer. The underage student unwittingly complied with the request.

The case of beer was not opened nor did the underage student consume any of the product or retain any of it in his possession. The students were followed to their downtown residence building by two undercover police officials who then conducted interrogations — awarding the underage student a summary violation for the transportation of alcoholic beverages. The older student (not a roommate) who purchased the beer was dismissed. The underage student faces a court hearing shortly — proving (once again) that no good deed goes unpunished.

People who know me understand I have a very low tolerance for those who drink, especially minors. That said, I find this situation troubling. While the law is pretty clear on this matter, do young Penn State students (especially those from out of state) receive any kind of briefing relative to this ordinance? [Ref: Penn. Stat. & Con. Stats. Section 6307(a)& 6308(a)] If so, is it documented?

Why are adult students not charged with corruption of a minor in these situations? It would seem to me both students, having an equally accountable and “educated” perspective on what they are about to do, would refrain from such behavior — understanding full well the consequences of such action. With such perspective in hand, I am confident future incidents of this nature would diminish — providing an opportunity for a collective maturity to win out over youthful stupidity.

Alcohol can be a gateway to drug abuse — which appears to be rampant throughout Pennsylvania. It is incumbent upon Penn State, and the community at-large, to ensure students are made aware of the law cited above. Further, this law needs to be modified to ensure no one gets a free pass in the course of a transgression.

I can assure you that the education curve will rise significantly, especially since “adult” students will not be able to easily expunge their legal record when they commence future employment efforts that require a background check, unlike the minor who enters the Youthful Offenders Program.

It is time to cut this pattern of behavior off at the pass — less we continue to serve as a community poster child for all that is wrong in America, academia and Happy Valley today.

This story was originally published July 31, 2017 at 9:35 PM with the headline "Education needed on underage alcohol rule."