Forty-eight years ago this week, The Amherst Student announced that the Zephaniah Swift Moore Beer Drinking Contest would be held on the evening of May 10. The contest, which was founded in 1939, was named after the College's first president. The original trophy that was given to winners of the contest had been stolen some years before, and The Student reported that a wooden bowl would be used in its place. The article went on to discuss the rules and procedures of the event: "Each fraternity will put up a team of three men and the contest will be run as a relay, the number two man drinking when the number one man replaces his glass on the table. Stop watches will record the times of the various drinkers." The article went on to further stipulate that the contest would end only when a) all but one team was either disqualified "for loud singing off key, slobbering, etc."; b) the attending physician "called a halt to proceedings"; or c) all teams decided to end the contest.

According to The Student, only students over the age of 21 were permitted to enter the contest, thus prohibiting most freshmen from participating. Although the faculty were welcome to enter the competition and had done so in the past, they had not yet entered the competition due to "the tendency of undergraduate winners to dispense with swallowing and just dump the beer down. The faculty, therefore, will probably withhold their entry until a non-swallower can be gotten into condition to act as anchorman." As per the 1939 competition, the rules were as follows: "1) ten ounce glasses, 2) five minute rest periods between each round, 3) three man team, 4) no substitutes, 5) no drunkenness or bawdy conduct, 6) calling the judges by familiar or first names will not be tolerated, 7) all drinking must be done at the table as distinguished from on or under, 8) a competitor may not use his own glass as a missile or his competitor's as an ash tray. Conduct befitting a gentleman is to be maintained at all times." The article stated that the current College record was 1.7 seconds from the time the contestant picked up his glass until he replaced it on the table. Planners of the contest were said to be in talks with students at both Mount Holyoke and Smith Colleges in hopes of organizing an exhibition match against this year's winners.