While pranks are expected during Territorial Cup week, a group of ASU students took it a step further by going to Tucson and recording their attempt to get UA students to sign a fake proposition for giving the land UA resides on "back to Mexico."
Proposition 200, the fake name of the petition some students signed, was based on the 1958 proposition that changed the name of Arizona State College to Arizona State University. The team of tricksters had posters charting the area they claimed belonged to Mexico, and they handed out pamphlets containing a QR code that links to the ASU transfer student page.
In a video documenting the prank, one of the pranksters, Ben Kaufman, said the ASU and UA rivalry is one of the best.
"We need to make sure that our boys bring home the win, so we're going to be starting a good old-fashioned prank war," Kaufman said in the video.
The Daily Wildcat was also duped by the group and wrote about Proposition 200. A story with the false information was printed in the newspaper and posted online — the article has subsequently been taken down.
Jessie Webster, the newspaper's editor-in-chief, issued a note From the Editor explaining the mistakes.
"We take it with a good heart. It was a very good prank," she said to The State Press. "It's embarrassing to us as a publication but we're not mad. It's a learning opportunity. Hats off to (the pranksters)."
Editor's Note: Acting on a tip, a State Press reporter was present while the ASU students spoke to UA students about the prank, but was not involved in the prank. The editorial staff felt the information gathered from this outing did not meet State Press publication standards.
Related Links:
ASU spirit cone comes home from Tucson
Ben Kaufman: 'Some College Punk' gears up for live comedy album
