My kid loves stories of college shenanigans. Gettysburg went from 0 to 60 when he heard about a friend who used to dress as a civil war soldier and use light projectors to convince tourists that they’d seen a ghost. MIT is a lousy fit but he’s still thinking about it because of MIT’s legendary pranking culture.
Brown hit the list when we found out about Professor Carberry and the cracked pot lectures. Sustaining a joke for nearly 90 years is quite the achievement.
Looking at the serious side, I think Brown would be a good match but my sales pitch needs more ammunition.
So, what stories can you tell about student pranks or shenanigans that haven’t made it to the college website? Tell me something that will appeal to my zany and offbeat kid.
Maybe not quite on the same spectrum, but I spent quite a bit of time on university building roofs as an undergrad. Not that roof-climbing is technically allowed, but you can get a great view!
It wasn’t a prank, but the whole SciLi duck saga made me smile.
A couplr of years ago, a mother duck laid eggs in a giant pot outside the SciLi (science library). Students ended up “duck sitting” the eggs to keep them safe. (It’s impossible to predict the exact date an egg will hatch.) So, students were there 24/7 to make sure no cats or other predators got to the eggs. When the eggs hatched, students helped Mama Duck guide them through campus, across streets, away from storm sewers, etc. down to the Providence River where Papa Duck was waiting for them.
The whole campus was caught up in “keep the little ducklings safe” fever.
@jonri, that one was great! You forgot the part where people were worried about the ducklings getting out of the pot safely, so they put pillows on the ground around the pot to make sure they had a soft landing!