Do presidents of the nation's 100 best-known universities really think that lowering the drinking age to 18 will make campuses safer and reduce high-risk drinking among students?

The presidents of the University of North Dakota and North Dakota State University don't think so. The Tribune's editorial board does not think so, either.

The idea was to provoke a national debate on the drinking age, with the hope that it would be lowered and, as a result, create an environment where young people learn how to drink without abusing beer, wine or hard liquor. Unfortunately, problems with alcohol can be found in abundance off campus and among those long past 21 years of age. It's not just college students who abuse, by any means.

Among most of the states, the drinking age is 21. Lawmakers, usually older, have chosen to "protect" younger members of the community. Is it fair? Does it work? Well, maybe that's something that can be debated.

There are somethings to keep in mind:

n Former Minnesota State University Moorhead student Jason Reinhardt of Fargo died of acute alcohol poisoning after celebrating his 21st birthday by trying to down 21 drinks in an hour at a Moorhead bar. His March 2004 death led to an effort in the North Dakota Legislature to stop so-called "power hour" drinking binges in bars.

n Alcohol caused the death of Dusten Gailey, a Wyoming student at the University of Mary who was found unconscious in his Bismarck dorm room in October 2003. The official cause of death is listed as ethanol intoxication.

n Alcohol was involved in the death of an NDSU student visiting friends in Wahpeton in May. The student suffered fatal injuries in a fall down some steps after he had been drinking.

Officials on North Dakota college and university campuses said recently they are making progress on addressing drinking among college students. At the heart of this effort is the North Dakota Higher Education Consortium for Substance Abuse Prevention. The group works on a number of fronts providing campuses with skills, information and attitudes aimed at reducing high-risk drinking.

Will a national debate on whether to lower the drinking age help? Not as much as working with students on campus, modeling the right choices and being frank about risks.