Partly Cloudy, 64°
On night 23 of a prank that has captured the imagination of the campus, some four dozen of Ronald Braverman ’14’s closest friends, acquaintances and admirers crowded outside his first-floor Grad Center single, settling in for another eight-hour pranking.
“He has no idea!” said original prankster Ken Block ’14 as the group struggled to keep from giggling. “We got him, you guys! We totally got him!”
“Quiet, you guys, quiet,” he added as the nude Braverman fitfully rolled over in his sleep.
“It all started when [biochemistry TA Eugene] Gretzsky and I were throwing around prank ideas,” said Block. “I was like, ‘What if we poured salt in his oatmeal?’ And Gene was like, ‘And what if we didn’t tell him about it?’ And I was like, ‘And what if he was naked?’ That’s when our brainstorming really took off.”
On the first Tuesday of April, Block and Gretzsky put their plan in motion. They were soon spotted by Sandra Harris ’13, who eagerly joined in on the fun. They were then accosted by a DPS officer, who was originally gruff and disgruntled but quickly grabbed a prime window spot as he came to understand the hilarious nature of the prank. He was followed by an unlikely parade of students, administrators, homeless men, faculty, homeless women, preteens and small business owners, all eager to totally “get” Braverman.
“This is such a creative and ironic prank,” explained Gretzsky. “We’re totally all in on this amazing joke, you know? We’re holding a mirror up to society — I’m pretty sure that’s what’s happening here.”
“Gathering with dozens of strangers to watch a young man sleep is exactly what college is all about,” said Block. “This is why we go here.” Asked if this was the only reason, Block clarified, “Yes.”
Already, the group is planning to expand on its original prank. Future plans include prank working out at the same time as Braverman, prank registering for all of Braverman’s classes and prank setting up prank cameras in the bathroom of Braverman’s suite, although some worried that the last prank would perhaps be too hilarious, if such a thing were even possible.
