Beer games not the same

DAYTON, Ohio — The rules of beer pong and other college drinking games could be changing because of H1NI flu fears.

Beer pong, a game that involves drinking from communal cups of beer, has been the subject of warnings and bans this fall at U.S. college campuses including Cornell University and the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, both in New York, due to H1N1 virus concerns.

Nearly 8,900 new cases of flulike illness were reported at 270 U.S. colleges and universities for the week of Oct. 17 through 23, according to the American College Health Association. The ACHA has observed nearly 56,000 cases of flulike illness this year among 3 million college students.

Some students are taking precautions such as using cups of water for beer pong. “Then, when somebody scores, they’ll just take a sip of the beer that they’re drinking,” said Anthony LoPresti, a University of Dayton junior from Cleveland and member of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity.

“We’re trying to stay away from anybody sharing any sort of cups,” said Charlie Hank, a fifth-year Dayton student from Columbus and Phi Kappa Psi member. “Even here at the house we’re trying to keep things as clean as possible.”