The Alcohol Drinking Exception for Adults

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The Alcohol Drinking Exception for Adults

by David J. Hanson, Ph.D.

A federal law commonly known as the Buckley Amendment protects the privacy rights of college students. Without a student’s permission, it is illegal even for parents to obtain copies of academic grades, attendance records, medical records, or other educational information. Parents can’t even find out if their students have stopped going to classes, are under the care of a school psychiatrist, or are flunking out of school.

But recent legislation has made one exception. The college can, over the objection of adult students, inform their parents if their students have been caught sipping a beer or even been seen in the presence of other students under the age of 21 who are drinking, although not drinking themselves because they serve as designated drivers.

This is incredible. After all, adults age 18 through 20 can legally:

marry
vote
adopt children
own and drive automobiles
have abortions
enter into legally binding contracts
operate businesses
purchase or even perform in pornography
give legal consent for sexual intercourse
fly airplanes
hold public office
serve on juries that convict others of murder
hunt wildlife with deadly weapons
be imprisoned
be executed
be an employer
sue and be sued in court
serve in the United States armed services and give their lives defending their country
and otherwise conduct themselves as the adults they are, both legally and socially.