College's vegetarian plan a hoax

NORTHAMPTON, Mass., Oct. 26 (UPI) -- A prank at a Massachusetts college convinced many students the campus was going vegetarian and locavore -- serving only local food and beverages.

Smith College Professors Jay Garfield and Jim Henle said they masterminded the prank as part of their introductory class in logic. They instructed their 100 students to convince the campus the administration was planning to ban meat and all foods from outside of New England from being served at the school, The Boston Globe reported Tuesday.

The faux news sparked protests and counter-protests last week with chalk slogans opposing the move appearing on sidewalks across the college. About one-third of the students in the class at the all-female school said they believed they had been successful in fooling the campus.

The prank culminated Monday with President Carol Christ showing up at Garfield and Henle's class to inform them they were being fired for revealing the school's "secret" plan to go vegetarian and locavore. She accused them of owning a share in a local farm set to profit from the plan.

However, the class discovered the announcement was all part of the hoax when Christ was interrupted by the school's provost, who explained the instructors could not be fired because they have tenure.

Garfield and Henle said they are thinking of ways to top the prank next year.