Safe College Pranks

College is a time to explore your personality, even if it means getting a little silly, and safe college pranks can be a fun and exciting way to do it.

Duct tape is a useful prank accessory.

Being safe means more than just avoiding injury. Safe pranks have to avoid different types of damages, including:

• Injuries: A prank should not risk of personal injury either to the person setting up the prank or the individual who will be startled by it. Furthermore, bystanders and animals should never be stressed or injured by pranks.
• Property Damage: It is not funny to break or damage personal possessions and property to set up a prank, and side effects of the prank should not lead to property damage. This includes damage to an individual’s belongings as well as university property.
• Emotional Damage: What may seem funny to one person can be hurtful to another. When in doubt, err on the side of caution to avoid extreme embarrassment or humiliation during a prank.

Pranks may seem innocent, but college students are regarded as adults in more than one way and they can face serious consequences for dangerous pranks. Not only can a bad prank lead to broken friendships, but it could also result in fines for damage or disturbances, disciplinary action from the university, and even legal charges for harassment, property damage, or malicious behavior. With thousands of dollars of tuition, career planning, and future reputations at stake, it is prudent to play it safe with college pranks.

Pranks can be the perfect way to play jokes on a roommate, classmate, or other college friend. A well-coordinated prank can even be played on a good-natured professor, residence hall supervisor, or other university staff member. Many clubs, including fraternities and sororities, stage pranks on new members as part of initiation or welcome rituals, and safe pranks ensure that the fun stays innocent and cannot be confused with hazing or discrimination.

There are many different pranks that can be successfully staged in a college setting. Popular, simple pranks that can be pulled off safely, with minimal effort, and on a college student’s budget include:

• Resetting an alarm clock or watch several hours to trick a roommate into getting up much earlier than needed for class. Similarly, set a clock later to make them think they’ve missed an important lecture or exam.
• Completely block a dorm room door with tape or paper. If space permits, fill the area between the door and the blockade with confetti, packing foam, or shredded papers. For a more elaborate option, fill the entire dorm room with balloons or crumpled paper while the person is absent.
• Hold a classmate’s or roommate’s notes for ransom, with elaborate clues leading them all around campus to recover their work.
• Leave humorous messages or cartoons on sliding classroom white boards. You can see the effects of this prank if you are able to sneak into the classroom early, and it is particularly effective if you can use tall boards that aren’t easily reached to be erased.
• Buy a universal remote control with a strong range and use it to change channels on televisions in different rooms or lounges without anyone realizing you are behind the prank.
• Tie down a heavily sleeping roommate to their bed with clothesline or bungee cords.
• Reset a friend’s cell phone ring tone to a seductive or obnoxious tune and call them during a lecture class or while they are in the library or cafeteria.
• Coordinate with an entire class to turn in assignments on colored paper, written in crayon, or otherwise uniquely presented.
• To encourage a roommate to clean up their half of the dorm room, hide a loud, obnoxious alarm clock in the mess and set it to go off in the middle of the night. Repeat nightly in different hiding spots until the room is neat.
• Discreetly add dish soap to a campus fountain for a bubbly prank the entire university will see.

It takes careful planning and skill to pull off a flawless prank. To enjoy safe, fun college pranks:

• Plan Carefully: Plan the prank so it can have the most dramatic effect possible. Ransoming a roommate’s notes, for example, is more humorous close to an exam or when a project is due. At the same time, be sure their materials will be returned in time for them to complete the project or study as necessary.
• Use Discretion: Your roommate will know something’s up if you buy 500 balloons the day before they leave for spring break. Hide all evidence of your involvement in the prank and keep a straight face and calm demeanor until it is time to reveal your role as prankster.
• Get Creative: Use your personal skills to craft an even sneakier prank. Engineering students, for example, may be able to rig up elaborate pranks involving computers and technology much more safely than if someone else tried to do it. Acting students can take on dramatic roles to help pranks proceed, and you may have other hidden talents that can be harnessed for the perfect prank.
• Be Gracious: After the prank has been revealed, a little teasing is expected, but don’t rub it in the victim’s face indefinitely. Help clean up any mess and restore order after a successful prank to stay in the victim’s good graces.

Many pranks can be expensive, dangerous, and damaging. Safe college pranks, on the other hand, can help strengthen friendships and create fun memories to be cherished long after graduation.

For more tips on college life, visit LoveToKnow College.

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