It's no secret: Penn State University has problems when it comes to alcohol. Luckily, students are looking for solutions to those problems.

The search was active last Thursday at the Public Issues Forum on the effects of excessive drinking in the community, which was held at the Schlow Centre Region Library.

This forum presented statistics on binge drinking in Centre County and other alcohol-related statistics. At the end of the presentation, the audience was then split into groups and asked to discuss possible solutions to the drinking problem in Centre County.

None of the three solutions offered up at the forum -- stricter enforcement, better treatment and more education -- seemed to provide any breakthroughs. It's safe to assume that stricter enforcement won't stop all students from excessive drinking. Though treatment and education are vital, it's hard to foresee any substantial changes as a result of these measures.

However, there was one sentiment that seemed to find some traction: criminalization is not productive. This is why we'd like to see serious dialogue about the merits of the drinking age of 21.

Sure, change on this front is distant and easy to be cynical about. It would take a long time and would ultimately require reform and approval on a major level to see any headway, but looking outside U.S. borders, we can see that the position of a lower drinking age has merit.

Ask an international student or visitor, and he'll probably tell you that drinking isn't nearly as big of an issue in his country as it is here in America.

A considerable number of college presidents think the matter is worth researching, as evidenced through the Amethyst Initiative. This initiative "supports informed and unimpeded debate on the 21 year-old drinking age" and currently holds the support of 135 college presidents nationwide. We urge Penn State President Graham Spanier to sign on to the initiative and show that Penn State wants to be heard when it comes to the drinking dialogue.

Stricter enforcement, better treatment and more education are old remedies for an old problem. If students, community members and faculty are serious about addressing Penn State's drinking problem, it's time to take action and explore new frontiers. No matter how out of reach that change might seem, we've got to start somewhere.