Jul 31, 2014 11:10 AM EDT By J Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

Tohoku University in Japan has evicted all 105 residents from a school dorm, citing a litany of poor behavior by drunken students, The Japan Times reported.

The unusual punishment represents a last resort by the prestigious university to crack down on excessive drinking or "alcohol-related lapses" that have plagued Meizenryo, the 123-year-old dorm.  The university has given the students until the end of September to move out.

"The announcement came completely out of the blue, and we only have two months until we need to get out of here," Tao Kimura, the 20-year-old vice president of the dorm's student body, told The Japan Times. "They should've given us a heads-up, because (the order) has such a huge impact on our lives."

Meizenryo houses first- and second- year student and nearly 70 percent of its residents are younger than the legal drinking age of 20.

There have been cases of acute alcohol poisoning, and college professors have complained of late-night drinking rituals "where seniors wake younger students and force them to drink alcohol, sometimes resulting in victims being unable to make it to the bathroom and instead vomiting out of windows," RTE News reported.

Despite repeated warnings from school officials, some students have defended their drinking tradition as "a way to foster fraternity."

School officials issued a notice in April banning any drinking activities in the dorm, after years of admonishing students to improve their behavior.

Kimura said the fault lies with those who were guilty of drinking alcohol after the ban was implemented.

 "[By evicting the students], we hope to reset the atmosphere in the dorm," Yasunori Kumakura, a university official in charge of student affairs, told The Japan Times. "We're doing it for the sake of their health."

Once emptied, the dorm will close for renovations and resume operations in April.  Students who have abided by the April notice will likely be welcomed back next year "after living temporarily in apartments arranged by the university."

Those who violated the no-drinking rule will need to find a new place to live on their own.

See Now: Covert Team Inside Newsweek Revealed as Key Players in False Human Trafficking Lawsuit