College students have long had a bad rap for partying a little too much. From Animal House to YouTube, the modern media encourages the image that binge drinking, partying, and upchucking are a regular party of college life. Though there are many of us in higher education who aren’t participants in that scene – the stereotype remains for college-aged kids.

But what if having one or two beers at a frat house or maybe a glass of wine at a dinner party became the norm? That’s what Choose Responsibility, a network of college presidents from some pretty big-named universities are advocating.

The argument is that if the legal age of drinking is lowered to 18, then, over time, binge drinking will become less attractive because it’s not illegal anymore. If teenagers become accustomed to drinking alcohol at a younger age, then perhaps they will learn more responsibility and be a little more the kids in Europe. Well, maybe not like the soccer fans.

You can imagine what an uproar this is causing. Naturally, the fear is that the binge drinking subculture will become more present in even younger students in high school and middle school. Of course, others argue that it’s already seeped into little Johnny’s locker break between gym class and algebra.

I suppose, after all, that the premise of education is based upon entrusting students with the knowledge and understanding to learn how to make their own decisions. So, why not move a little outside the classroom and into the residence hall? Besides, 18-year-olds are considered adults by the U.S. government in almost every other realm. If you can go to war and fight on the front lines, why can’t you have a beer with your friends when you come home?