PRANK OF THE YEAR: The editors of a campus humor magazine at Tennessee's Vanderbilt University this week pulled off the practical joke of a lifetime: they produced a fake press run of the student newspaper, the Vanderbilt Hustler, in which they falsely reported the death of university Chancellor Gordon Gee. Tears were shed, moments of silence were observed, and plans were even made for a memorial service before the ruse was revealed and Gordon Gee (not to be confused with G .Gordon Liddy) turned out to be alive and well. To his credit, Gee was a good sport about the prank, even agreeing to be photographed with the "GEE DEAD" broadsheet.
Imagine the same prank pulled on Brandeis' Jehuda Reinharz, or (God forbid) BU's John Silber. College presidents as a rule, from what I've seen, are corrupt, spineless, or both, but it's good to see that Mr. Gee is the exception. And that he's alive.
Meanwhile, the funniest part of the story isn't even part of the joke: Vandy's student newspaper is "The Hustler." Do all of their staffers have "Editor of Hustler" on their resumes?
(Via Romanesko).