Open the bars to all
Mike Connolly
Editor in Chief
You are old enough to vote. You are old enough to die for your country. You are old enough to be killed by your country if you commit a capital offense. But if you are 18 years old and in Indiana, you are not allowed to enter a dance club that serves alcohol even if you have no desire to drink. Does anyone else see a problem with this?
I am not advocating changing the drinking age in this column. People with more wisdom than I have determined that 21 is an appropriate age to begin drinking legally.
But where is the wisdom in barring adults from social arenas presuming that they will commit a crime (underage drinking) if they are allowed to enter. An "18 to enter, 21 to drink" law for dance clubs, pool halls and sports bars just makes sense.
As a 20-year-old student, the only off-campus dance club I can go to legally is Irish Connection. But getting shot, stabbed or offered crack is not my idea of a good time on Saturday night.
When my 21-year-old friends head off to Heartland or Coach's, I am left behind. I don't even necessarily want to go to a bar to drink. Just being off-campus in a social environment would be fine. Many states other than Indiana have "18 to enter, 21 to drink" laws, there is no reason why this law wouldn't work in Indiana as well.
Over Fall Break, my friends and I went to a pool hall/bar in North Carolina. We listened to the music, shot some pool and generally had a good time. We didn't drink and we still had a good time. Unfortunately, this opportunity doesn't exist back in beautiful South Bend.
Troy Murphy said he wasn't drinking at Finnigan's when he was cited for being a "minor in a tavern." Since it was just two days before the start of official basketball practice, I am going to assume Murphy was telling the truth.
Therefore, Murphy was not breaking any drinking laws when he was cited but instead he was cited for dancing, talking and hanging in an unapproved location. Doesn't the South Bend Police have better things to do than arrest students for dancing, talking and hanging out in unapproved locations?
I would love it if I had options on Saturday night that went beyond watching a movie in my room, packing into a drunken on-campus party or walking over to Turtle Creek for excessive drinking. South Bend needs a place where all adults can gather in a safe, adult environment.
I want a place where I can go with my friends both of legal drinking age and underage where I can watch the big game on television, maybe shoot some pool or dance to whatever the latest songs the DJ is spinning.
I need adult social options. Trust me to make legal drinking decisions. If I drink underage, arrest me. But don't arrest me for being 20 years old and looking for an adult social environment.
All News Stories for Wednesday, November 1, 2000
