Picken Hall residents at Simpson College were surprised to find a broken ping-pong table on Saturday, April 18.

Over that weekend, the table in the Picken basement was broken in half. No one has claimed responsibility for the incident, and it is now deemed a mystery. Residence Life has many theories about who might have done it, but no one has stepped forward.

Lucas Herb-Mullin, the director of Residence Life, reminded students via email that graffiti or damage to college property violates expectations for the shared use of spaces.

“Our team has used this as an opportunity to reinforce community expectations around respecting shared spaces and college property, while also encouraging residents to take pride in their living environment and look out for one another,” Herb-Mullin said. 

If no one comes forward about breaking the table, the cost to remove and replace it, plus staff time to clean up and put the table back out, will be approximately $500. This charge will be divided and billed to all Picken residents.

Students expressed frustration on Yik Yak, an anonymous app often used to spread campus news. Some speculated that an off-campus visitor broke the table, while others accused the school’s football team. No official claims have been made about who is responsible. 

The Simpson student handbook states, “In the event that general hall damage costs exceed the amount available in the hall damage fund, the excess charges will be divided by the number of residents to determine the individual damage charge per student.” 

For many, the broken table is an annoyance and a downside, as table tennis has become popular among students. Others are upset that they will be charged for something they did not do.

The snapped ping-pong table in Picken Hall remains a mystery for now, but it’s already gone down in the building’s history books.