The wet vodka melon on a dry campus

Hillsdale College in Michigan, where I was Professor of Philosophy, was a very conservative college.  Its President dabbled in Republican Party politics on the Conservative side, and much of the student body was centre-right.  The campus was 'dry,' meaning that alcohol was not allowed on college grounds or in college buildings. 

They may have been centre right, but they were still students, and they found ingenious ways to break the rules without penalty.  The student fraternity houses were all rambling old houses just off the edge of campus, so they were allowed alcohol and had regular parties.

Hillsdale had quite a good team in its American Football college league, and had the support at home matches of a good proportion of the student population.  Of course no alcohol was allowed at these games, so some of the students took in melons to slice up and share for refreshment as they watched.  Unknown to the college authorities they had previously injected large quantities of vodka into the melons and found them a good deal more refreshing than they seemed.

I was faculty mentor to the Ezra L Koon honors dormitory (hall of residence) and occasionally enjoyed an evening drink with the students.  My routine was to leave a brown bag on the doorstep containing a quart jug of wine.  When I went in to their lounge I'd tell them that someone had left a brown bag on their doorstep.  They would go out to bring it in, leaving me innocent of taking alcohol into college premises.

The one exception to the rule was that when distinguished visitors came to speak, wine would be served at the post-lecture reception in a room set aside for this purpose and exempted from the rules.  These lectures were very popular, partly because 15 or so students would be invited to the reception that followed.  They clamoured to be included.