Endorsing beer pong?

IU has been on a rampage to exterminate anything that could potentially be both university-affiliated and alcohol-affiliated, including ping-pong balls and red and white colored cans.

Kelley students created a promotional video for the Wells Library that involved, heaven forbid, ping-pong balls – because the video was promoting a game night that included ping pong.

It just so happens that there’s a popular drinking game on campus that also involves ping-pong balls. However, the promotional video was taken off YouTube.

Conflict again came up last month when Anheuser-Busch was sent a cease and desist letter by IU Director of Licensing and Trademarks Valerie Gill. The beer company had been selling cream and crimson “fan cans” in the area.

The letter read, “We are respectfully notifying you that such use is not authorized by IU. As such, I ask that you cease and desist selling and promoting the red and white Bud Light Team Pride can in the vicinity of IU campuses.”

It makes sense for IU to not want to endorse a beer, but it seems more that Anheuser-Busch is paying tribute (and grabbing drunk fans’ money) with the colors.
It’s also a bit sketchy to assume IU can control the color combination of red and white.

That fact that IU was simply following suit of other universities such as University of Michigan, University of Minnesota, University of Iowa, University of Wisconsin and Purdue University doesn’t necessarily make the move any more commonsensical.
We, just like all other colleges and universities, are a community and campus with people who can legally drink. Nothing’s wrong with people of age celebrating their favorite school by drinking.

Moreover, it’s highly unlikely that anyone has ever been persuaded to drink because of a library promotional video or the colors on a beer can.

Neither are likely to send students down the dark path of underage drinking.

It’s one thing for a university to endorse drinking, but the recent paranoia exhibited by IU and others that they just might be accused of such a thing is unjustified and a waste of time.

And the administration looks silly when they throw a fit about the appearance of ping-pong balls.