RPI warns beer pong spreads H1N1

TROY - A local college with nearly two dozen confirmed cases of swine flu is asking all students, including those of age, to lay off the drinking games.

That's because RPI has linked several of the most recent cases of the H1N1 virus to students who were sharing cups at a party.

Rows of plastic red cups aren't too hard to find at fraternity houses. Monday night there was a lot of post-Columbus Day party cleanup to do near college campuses.

But administrators at RPI want students to can the drinking games -- especially those that involve sharing cups, like beer pong.

The latest H1N1 alert from the college health department explains the most recent of the school's 21 cases were linked to social events on campus, including football games and parties. The e-mail sent to the college community says some current cases were linked to a weekend drinking game.

Do not share drinks, the message warned. Alcohol does not kill the virus or prevent its spread from person to person it said.

"I think until a house gets hit by swine flu, [the drinking games will] keep continuing," RPI junior Ian Lonsdale said.

Some college students say while the beer pong tournaments will likely go on, everyone needs to be more careful.

"Don't pass cups along. Don't say, 'Hey, try this.' Keep own cup. If you don't know where it is, just go get a new one," RPI senior Tara Hillriegel suggested.

In the meantime members at the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity house say they are washing their hands more than ever before. They've put a hand sanitizer dispenser at each entrance to the house.

The school currently has seven students in isolation and seven others who've gone home to their parents.