He said the debate should not be just about lowering the drinking age. It's more important, he said, to focus on better alcohol abuse education on campuses or in driver education courses. But now, he said, new ideas can't be tested because of the federal law.
Advocates of the 21-year-old drinking age say it has saved thousands of lives. They say lowering the age will pass the drinking problem down the line to high school students and that national surveys have found the public supports keeping the age at 21.
"Drunk driving used to be a part of American culture until someone stood up and said we need to make a change, and 25 years later 'designated driver' is a commonplace term in every household in America," said Caroline Cash, executive director of Mothers Against Drunk Driving for Maryland and Delaware.
She said she was disappointed that the university presidents did not talk with MADD before signing the statement. She said she also questions their commitment to upholding the law.
"It gives me great pause to think of sending thousands of students onto a campus where the person who is most accountable doesn't seem to be devoted to ensuring their health and safety," Cash said.
But university presidents say that is at the center of their concerns. They are worried about the binge drinking that underage students engage in before they go out - the goal being to get drunk as quickly as possible before going to public places where they won't be served.
"If they drink too much in the beginning [of an evening], they can get alcohol poisoning," said Baird Tipson, president of Washington College in Chestertown. "They're really not aware of how their judgment is impaired. We hope they don't get into a car. Or, if they're a young woman, go to a fraternity party. It's just not healthy."
He said at least 90 percent of the disciplinary cases that have come before him - including physical and sexual assaults - involve alcohol. And because underage drinking is forbidden on college campuses, students do it off-campus. That means getting home can be a problem, the presidents said.
"A lot of young people feel that they are afraid of enforcement" on campus, said Sanford J. Ungar, president of Goucher College. "They tend to get in a car and go someplace else - and that's very, very dangerous. I worry about it every weekend."
