I've been researching what effects the legal drinking age has on a person's relationship with alcohol. As it turns out, there is some good research to be found on the topic.

I found a study that was reported by U.S. News and World Reports that generated some insightful data. The study observed over 39,000 Americans who grew up and resided in various states with different laws regarding alcohol.  Some of these states allowed drinking at age 18, while others allowed it at age 21.

Let's start off by stating the facts: binge drinking is defined as a man who drinks five or more alcoholic drinks in one drinking session or a woman who drinks four or more drinks per session. This study followed the drinking habits of people who started drinking in the 1970s, and has followed those people for decades.

The studies showed that people in states with a drinking age below 21 had a much higher rate for binge drinking. They were not shown to drink more often, nor were they reported to consume more alcohol than states with a drinking age of 21. They were, however, reported to consume more alcohol during a drinking session than people from states who had a drinking age of 21.

In other words, people who lived in states with laws allowing the drinking of alcohol at an age younger than 21 are more likely to be binge drinkers today.

One frightening statistic: binge drinking is 19 percent higher for men who grew up in states with a lower drinking age, and among men who didn't go to college, it's even 31 percent more likely.

"Binge drinking on college campuses is a very serious problem," Plunk says. "But it's also important not to completely forget about young people who aren't on college campuses. In our study, they had the greatest risk of suffering the long-term consequences linked to lower drinking ages." -- HealthDay News

-Hannah Teague

Texas Vs. Oklahoma: the Red River rivalry outside the football field

The Oklahoma-Texas water debate that began in 2007 continues today as it approaches its U.S. Supreme Court hearing. The conflict is over water in the Red River, which borders Texas and Oklahoma. Oklahoma argues that the Tarrant Regional Water District has no right to withdraw water from the “Oklahoma Side” of the Red River. In Texas’ argument, the Red River is only 125 miles away and less salty than western water which would require less treatment. In addition, in relation to the proposed 2012 Texas State Water Plan, because the water is to the east, “it is less susceptible to drought and it is uphill, so it would require less energy to pump into the metroplex” (E&E 2013). 

The Oklahoma Water Resources Board released Oklahoma’s State Water Plan after the 2012 legislation, which is expected to guide water use and conservation for the next 50 years. The plan lays out the  4 significant factors affecting Oklahoma’s future. Specifically, data is a factor that correlates with the current Texas-Oklahoma water debate: “the State of Oklahoma must not only reestablish its dwindling base of reliable water data but expand the network of stream gages, monitoring wells, and water quality monitoring sites, as well as the tools necessary to quantify, manage, and allocate surface and groundwater resources confidently.” The Texas-Oklahoma water dispute also referred to the Red River Compact between Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas. According to E&E, until recently, “no state has sought to draw water from another using the compact”.

Oklahoma argued that, “If Texas thought it could take desirable stream water from other states for free, Texas might have mentioned that right in its water plans” (Law 360 2013)

On Wednesday, March 27, 2013, the Texas House passed HouseBill 4, which will “create a water bank that would offer loans for projects like new water reservoirs, pipelines and conservation projects,” according to the Texas Tribune. Conservation plays a large priority in the State Water Plan and funding. The bill is now headed to the Senate as the 2013 legislation continues, and it will be interesting to see if the Red River debate will be impacted by the Senate’s decision.  

-Becca Adkins

South Dakota the first state to pass a measure explicitly allowing school employees to carry guns

On March 8, South Dakota passed a law overtly authorizing school employees to carry guns under a measure signed by Gov. Dennis Daugaard. The passing of this law is now fueling the nationwide debate even more after the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary where 20 first graders died last December.  Shortly after the shooting, legislation proposed a plan to allow school personnel to carry guns in about a dozen states.

South Dakota is currently the only state with a statute that specifically authorizes teachers to carry a firearm in a K-12 school. However, the law leaves it up to the school districts to decide whether or not to arm teachers.

South Dakota is a state where children begin shooting BB guns when they are just 8, and shooting shotguns by 14.

 “Our kids start hunting here when they’re preteens,” said Kevin Jensen, who supports the bill and is the vice president of the Canton School Board in South Dakota. “We know guns. We respect guns.”

Supporters of this measure think this plan is important to have in schools who live 30 to 45 mins away from a local emergency responders.

Don Kirkegaard, superintendent of Meade School District agreed that although some schools are isolated, he did not see any evidence to suggest that they would be safer if teachers were armed.

Many people would be more comfortable providing resources to districts to hire law enforcement for schools instead of training teachers who will not be able to fully protect the students. In an online survey of 10,661 teachers and administrators from all 50 states conducted in late January, nearly three in four educators said they would be unlikely to bring firearm to school if allowed to do so. 

Rian Worm

Update on School Nutrition

There has been no action taken on this bill since January 22, 2013.

Although many changes have been made in the past decade, there needs to be more to come. They have implemented breakfast programs, altered the beverages to be provided to the children, and a few more minor things. Our youth today aren't being taught proper education, so many people argue that educating the children would help them to make better food choices. I agree with this point of view. Many young children do not understand the huge effect the food they are eating has on their health.

There are many problems that come from poor nutrition, diabetes being one of the major ones. According to Diabetic Care Services, the international Diabetes Foundation says that "Diabetes and obesity are the biggest public health challenge of the 21st century." They also stated that as of 1999, diabetes affected 16 million (six percent) of Americans. That is an increase of 40 percent in ten years. They also claimed that every three seconds, someone is diagnosed with diabetes. This is an epidemic that can be cured and prevented at an early stage (childhood).

Diabetic Care Services also claims that "of the people diagnosed with type II diabetes, about 80 to 90 percent are also diagnosed as obese." This just shows the direct link between obesity and diabetes.

For more information about the link between diabetes and obesity, see this link: http://www.diabeticcareservices.com/diabetes-education/diabetes-and-obesity

The chart below shows the increase of obesity over a period of ten years, and it has gotten even worse since.

Shelby Knight

Tuition Freeze Status

 

With tuition rising about eight percent for universities all across the country, many of these universities are looking to enforce the tuition freeze. The thought behind this is that your tuition fees will remain the same from the first year of attending a University until you graduate, that is as long as it's within the standard graduation period for the specific degree. Because of the rising tuition with these Universities, many students are having to find alternatives to getting college educations.

Public and private schools both, such as University of Phoenix, The University of Rhode Island, The University of Nebraska, and The University of Minnesota, are moving towards implementing these tuition freezes.  Along with these tuition freezes, some schools are looking to increase the financial aid available to students, current and future. Many of these schools are looking to adopt these new ways due to student outcry and economic changes. There might be certain requirements that the students have to make, but at least the Universities are trying to make changes.

In Texas, House Bill 1834 is still trying to be passed through legislature to help Texas public universities implement tuition freezes.  On the Texas Insider Report, State Representative Abel Herrero said, "A tuition freeze will allow Texas to reinvest in its commitment to provide a high quality, affordable education for all students. If passed, this law will make attaining a higher education degree more affordable and accessible, as well as encourage students to complete their degree plans timely.”

-Shelby Campbell

What's next for CPRIT?

CPRIT is desperately trying to move forward. In December, $183 million in combined grant money was frozen. Now that the moratorium period is over, CPRIT representatives are hoping to use the grants for what the were intended: research. Senator Jane Nelson, who authored SB 149 (which outlines the restructuring and establishes protocols to make sure grants are handled as they were intended), stated, "We will not allow the actions of a few individuals to stand in the way of our effort to find treatments and cures for this terrible disease." 

In the end, the people who are being affected by this are the researchers. Without these grants, projects were halted or cancelled. As of now, CPRIT cannot commit to any new grants, but Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, and House Speaker Joe Straus decided that they should allow for the grants to 25 researchers that were promised before December. 

One of the researchers, Hua Xu of the UT Health Science Center, said, "This is great news. I'll now be able to buy the equipment and hire the people I need to finally get to work on the research project" (Houston Chronicle). 

Former Miss Houston empowers women through gun self-defense courses

Former Miss Houston, Nikki Turpeaux, is empowering women today, not through self-image help or tips for success, but by preparing them to be ready to defend themselves with a firearm if they are put in a dangerous or life-threatening situation. Turpeaux is the lead instructor for the Get A GRIP Ladies Program that is a firearms instructional course specifically designed to teach women how basic knowledge about firearms and how to effectively and confidently use them if necessary.

"I take women that have never dealt with the aspect or dealt with firearms before through a step-by-step process, in an environment that is comfortable and safe to ask questions," Turpeaux said.

Turpeaux presents a unique experience to women since most self-defense, firearms courses are taught by men. The Get A Grip Ladies Program offers five levels of instruction ranging from the fundamentals of marksmanship to shotgun proficiency. Turpeaux calls these skills “life-saving life-defending”.

Turpeaux teaches women about gun specifics, how to use a range of gun types, and, most importantly, how to keep themselves safe and remove themselves from harms way.  The Get A Grip Ladies Program is mobile and instruction is available in any location where needed.

Women should not feel helpless without a man if they were to experience a home intruder or any other kind of dangerous situation. Turpeaux’s specially designed program is a way for women to gain this security and confidence when it comes to their personal safety, as well as their family’s safety.

Ashton Theiss
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