Alex Todd said a student can walk into a party and not know anyone and can still end up with a drink in their hand.

“They ask you, ‘You want a drink?’ and you’re like, ‘Sure why not,'” said the freshman undecided major.

At 7 tonight, University Board and the athletic department will sponsor the lecture.

“How to Keep Your Party Legal: Alcohol, the Law and You” in the Grand Ballroom of the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union.

C.L. Lindsay, a former attorney, will return to Eastern Illinois University to give students information about their rights. Lindsay came to Eastern last year and talked about legal issues with Myspace and Facebook.

Amy Baumgart, a graduate advisor for UB, said it is really important for Lindsay to return to Eastern.

“First of all, he is an attorney and he realized that college students really have no idea what their rights are and how to keep things legal,” she said.

Baumgart said the lecture would not preach to students not to party.

“It’s not someone telling them to not do this and not to do that,” she said. “It’s about how to be safe and be smart about it.”

Baumgart said this is a message Eastern students can use.

Todd said she thinks the lecture is a good idea.

“It’s not like they are telling you not to go out,” she said.

Todd said when she goes out there is usually alcohol at close range.

“It (alcohol) brings in more people,” she said. “You go to a party and they are just giving it to you for free.”

Todd said the drinking age should be lowered.

“Might as well lower it because kids are going to do it anyway,” she said. “They should give out classes on how to drink responsibly.”

Dana O’Connell, a sophomore hospitality management major, said having the drinking age set at 21 has affected the way students drink.

“Since 21 is the legal age, it makes you rebel and want to drink more,” she said. “If they lowered it, teens would drink in a more responsible way and wouldn’t binge drink.”

O’Connell said there are reasons why students drink.

“It’s the way it makes you feel, and the money,” she said. “Some people drink because of stress because school is stressful.”

Ryan Kerch, a senior biology major and member of UB, said this lecture would not be about how to not get caught.

“This will be more of a warning, and here are the rights you have as student,” he said.

Kerch said Lindsay discusses whether a student should decide to consume alcohol or not.

“I think it will be a great way to get information that you might not have heard of before,” he said. “Heard in a way that hits it from an aspect that most students don’t get.”

Kerch said the lecture is a good way to start a discussion between faculty, students and the community.

“This will help start up a discussion and think about the choices they make,” he said. “To drink or to not drink.”

Jessica Leggin can be reached at 581-7942 or at jmleggin@eiu.edu.