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Party all the time
Grandmother has fun on way to the Big House
By Jenny Mahn | Daily Arts Writer

W hen 83-year-old New York-
native Frances Levine could
not attend her grandson's
graduation from the University a
year ago, she made it a point to
visit campus this year. "I try to
visit all the colleges of my grand-
children," Levine explains.
With plans to visit her grand-
daughter, LSA sophomore Allie
Levine, Frances's son Murray
Levine arranged for her to visit the
University Nov. 12 and attend the
Michigan football game against
Indiana. As the Levine family
made their way from Allie's Delta
Phi Epsilon sorority house to
Michigan Stadium, Allie warned
her grandmother about the party-
heavy atmosphere and the drink-
ing that goes on during a Football
Saturday in Ann Arbor. Frances
found out first-hand when her
group stopped at 914 State St., the
apartment building known for its
three-story beer bong.
Many students were standing
around the bong, a large funnel at
the top, followed by nearly 30 feet of
tubing. Few students were attempt-
ing the beer bong and those who did
were getting drenched in beer. But
Frances decided to give it a chance.
"My mother got closer and clos-
er and said 'I think I'm going to
give it a try,' " Murray said.
Frances said her family was

baffled by her curiosity and inter-
est in the college tradition. "They
said, 'You can't do this!' and I said
'Why not?' "
Meanwhile, in apartment 301,
Engineering seniors Tom Korycin-
ski and Gary Ventimiglia, along
with their friends, were manning
the beer bong on the balcony.
Korycinski and Ventimiglia, who
live across the hall, had inherited
the beer bong and the key to the
empty apartment from the resi-
dents before them.
Murray asked one of the students
controlling the beer bong if he
would lend his coat to Frances so
she would not get covered in beer
like those who had gone befor her.
Frances requested that the guys
put just a little beer in the bong.
According to Korycinski, he usu-
ally uses two 16-ounce cups of beer
for each person, but for Frances, he
gave her just one 12-ounce beer.
When Frances started to do the
beer bong, students in the vicinity
erupted in excitement and enthusi-
asm. "They were yelling 'Go, go,
go, go, go!' " Murray said. "The
guy with the jacket slapped her
five and all," Allie added.
Frances enjoyed herself just
as much as those around her. "I
loved it. I felt great. I felt young
- not that I feel that old," Fran-
ces said. She especially enjoyed

Eighty-three-year-old Frances Levine drank from a beer bong on State Street.

the response she got from the stu-
dents. "I loved the kids cheering
me on."
"On a day like that - to see her
hit it was pretty amazing," Kory-
cinski said.
In fact, Frances became a bit of
a local celebrity that day. After
the game while she was wait-
ing for Murray to get the car, she
was immediately recognized by a
group of guys. "They said, 'you're
the woman who did the three-story
beer bong!' " Frances recalled.
Frances said the best part of the
entire experience was the enthu-
siasm and cheers of the students.
"I love everything about the kids.
I want them to drink less, but I
guess that's a little old fashioned."

I loved it. I felt great. I felt young
- not that I feel that old

Grandmother

- Frances Levine
of LSA sophomore Allie Levine

Frances Levine celebrates after completing the beer bong.

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12B - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, December 1, 2005