The College Fix

Recently approved changes to the College of William and Mary’s policy on drinking games have prompted negative reactions from several student groups.

The recent prohibition of beer pong tables has been of particular concern to the College’s Greek community.

“It has a lot of fraternity leaders on campus offended,” Kappa Delta Rho President Imad Matini ’11 said.

The decision to ban the items, which are predominantly used for drinking games, came as a result of the 2009-2010 Fraternity and Sorority Coalition Assessment Project review of the school’s Greek life system.

Drinking games were already banned by the College, and CAP advised that related paraphernalia be prohibited as well to convey a consistent message.

The policy change was explained to Resident Assistants during their orientation sessions in August. RAs were taught how to recognize tables that would serve primarily as surfaces for drinking game.

“If they’re painted with triangles, if there are circles for the cups, you’re not supposed to have them because it’s drinking paraphernalia,” Landrum Hall RA Chelsea Marotta ’12 said. “If it’s clear that it’s being used for beer pong, we’re supposed to tell them they have to get rid of it.”

While the policy applies to everyone, Matini said that fraternity members feel particularly targeted.

“We feel very antagonized and victimized,” he said. “It’s hurting a lot of my senior class — it’s isolating them a lot. They are up in arms about this.”

According to Matini, pong tables represent more than just surfaces for drinking games — they serve as symbols of a bond. Each class of men buys supplies to build their own table, and lays out its design.

“Brothers come together and work on them,” he said. “Alumni come back and say, ‘this is what we built together.’ [The ruling] is hurting our freedom of expression to build something.”

Read the full story at the William & Mary Flat Hat.

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