Its basic ingredients include friends, music, and, let’s face it, alcohol.
It’s where students can shed the stresses of the week and make memories — while ingesting a host of germs and bacteria. It’s enough to reduce any germaphobe to a trembling pile of nerves.
But you don’t have to stay in every night playing Scrabble. With a few truths and tricks to help navigate the treacherous world of collegiate debauchery, you’ll find yourself on the path to a healthier semester.
Beer Pong — The Dirty Truth
If you think a quick dip in a cup of water is enough to disinfect a ping pong ball, think again.
There’s the usual suspects like the common cold, flu, and strep. Dr. Diana Ebling, IU Health Center Medical Director, said it’s also possible to contract a parasitic infection from accidentally ingesting soil, not to mention any other fungi and bacteria that lurk on the floor.
Her solution? Play water pong. That way, you’re not imbibing beer contaminated by massive hairballs, gobs of dirt, and stray food particles.
Swapping spit
Weekend nights are filled with
swapping saliva with friends and strangers alike. From random make out sessions
and swigs from bottles to shots and hits from bongs, germs spread faster than a
Facebook petition. So think twice before putting your mouth on something dozens
already have to avoid being exposed to the common cold, flu, mono, oral herpes,
and meningitis
Fraternity solutions
On a typical weekend night, some 400 people make their way through a fraternity house on the North Jordan extension. All those bodies mean two things: guaranteed fist-pumping and a whole lot of germs.
After his bout with mono last spring, Sam*, the fraternity’s former risk-manager, made some changes to the way things were done. Responsible for the health and safety of his brothers and visitors to the house, he instituted these precautions to avoid spreading germs at parties:
• Don’t reuse cups from party to party.
• Throw away any drink left unattended for more than a few minutes.
• Pour drinks to-order. This means fewer used cups left out where anyone could mistake them for clean ones.
• Make someone responsible for keeping surface areas clear of debris and spilled drinks. (Clorox wipes come in handy.)
• Don’t serve drinks from punch bowls or pitchers.
*Name has been changed
