Half of freshmen class fall victim to hoax

Half of the freshman class fell victim to an elaborate hoax Sunday night, arriving late to Convocation ceremonies after a fake memo stating the event had been postponed was posted around the Quadrangle and fake phone calls were made to residence deans announcing a change in schedule. Memos supposedly from Assistant Director of Student Life Pam Spicer were put up all around the dormitory -- from bulletin boards to bathroom walls -- stating that President Sheldon Hackney had been delayed traveling and that the event had been postponed by an hour. Approximately 750 freshmen were on time for the event's 7 p.m. kick-off at Irvine Auditorium, and about 750 more members of the Class of '95 arrived slowly at the 1500-seat theater until Convocation's conclusion at 8 p.m., at which point the room was packed full. "Furthermore, we wish to make it clear that we meant no malice to the freshmen class by this action . . . The freshmen, being the gullible creatures that they are, were just easy targets," the letter read. Witnesses said the pranksters were successful in executing the hoax, creating an atmosphere of bewilderment around the Quad and at Irvine. College senior and Resident Advisor Ethan Lazarus said students and R.A.s in the Quad did not know whether Convocation's postponment was real. "My students barely made it on time," Lazarus said. Assistant Residence Dean Jane Rogers said she received a message from the Office of New Student Orientation announcing the postponment, and as the rumor swept through the Quad, freshmen and R.A.s were barraged with conflicting stories about the event. Rogers said that they only were able to learn the truth when an R.A. ran across the street to confirm that the ceremony had started. The hoax was well executed, Rogers said, adding that the pranksters were clever to announce the fake delay early Sunday evening, so that it would be unlikely to be detected until it was too late. "Whoever did it knew enough to talk to the [residence] deans . . . they covered the major bases," said Rogers. Hackney said that he noticed that the auditorium was not quite full, but he "didn't have a strong reaction" to the hoax. "The freshmen missed a very nice ceremony," said Hackney. "It was not a nice thing, but it is not going to shake the foundations of the University."

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.