In their eyes, lowering the drinking age might lessen the amount of binge drinking and remove the need for the large amount of fake IDs floating around.

MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon has not signed the petition, dubbed the Amethyst Initiative. Only one university in Michigan, Saginaw Valley State University, has signed it.

Critics such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving argue that the petition fails to point to any studies showing that lowering the drinking age would have any benefit, such as lessening the amount of alcohol-related fatalities or binge drinking.

They believe the current drinking age has been working for the past two decades, and there’s no reason to change it.

In the critics’ defense, one study on binge drinking among college students showed that the phenomenon — defined as five or more drinks in a row — peaked in 1984, before the current age of 21 was mandated nationwide in 1988.

While these critics certainly have plenty of evidence backing up their views, their studies lack the personal touch and experiences that most college students have witnessed firsthand.

Many of us have been at a party and seen an underage drinker become dangerously intoxicated but refuse to seek medical attention out of fear that they’ll be charged with a minor in possession.

If the drinking age was lowered, that fear would no longer exist and it’s more likely people would be willing to get the medical attention they need.

Another benefit of lowering the drinking age would be to bring students’ drinking into the spotlight.

Instead of hiding away in apartments and dorm rooms drinking as much alcohol as they possibly can, younger students likely would go to bars, where bartenders and waitresses can monitor a person’s intake and cut them off when it’s appropriate.

Also, removing the rush of breaking the law may lessen the thrill of drinking. While many underage drinkers probably would reject the idea that they’re drinking simply because they’re not supposed to, they couldn’t deny that there’s something enticing about doing something they shouldn’t be doing.

Let’s not kid ourselves: Lowering the age isn’t a magical cure-all. Some students would still binge drink in their homes regardless of whether it’s legal.

Still, it’s likely the university presidents advocating the petition probably have a fair measure of selfishness in pushing the issue. Once the majority of their students become legal drinkers, the problem of underage drinking and the stigma it brings goes away.

Even after considering all this, it still doesn’t make lowering the drinking age a bad idea. Being able to help even a few students means that it’s an issue worth serious examination and discussion.