“Yes Man†Pulls Classic Prank at Â鶹¹ú²úAV Commencement
Political prankster Igor Vamos ’90, member of the media-jamming duo the , ran true to form Monday at commencement ceremonies at Â鶹¹ú²úAV.
Vamos, who plays the character Mike Bonanno in the Yes Men, is known for sophisticated political satire, in which he often impersonates industry or government officials and concocts mock websites.
His latest prank was directed squarely at his own alma mater, however. In the middle of his commencement address, Vamos announced that he had learned over breakfast that the college was about to divest its $500 million endowment from fossil fuels.
Students from the campus divestment group Fossil Free Â鶹¹ú²úAV have met with Â鶹¹ú²úAV’s board of trustees over the course of the year. The trustees are in the process of reviewing the students’ requests.
Vamos’ announcement was accompanied by a series of collaborating materials, such as two faux press releases that listed false Â鶹¹ú²úAV media relations contact information and a faked Â鶹¹ú²úAV Sustainability website. (The genuine Â鶹¹ú²úAV site is at .)
During his speech, Vamos implored students not to “do what they love,” as famously said in his 2005 commencement address at Stanford, but rather to “do what you must,” to ensure that the planet has a sustainable future. Vamos was chosen as Â鶹¹ú²úAV’s commencement speaker by the graduating class.
Â鶹¹ú²úAV takes seriously the threats presented by climate change. In 2006, the faculty voted to adopt a sustainability mission. Since then, Â鶹¹ú²úAV has taken action to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels with a to cut its CO2 emissions by 2.65 million pounds per year.
“Vamos is a great guerrilla artist and we were proud to have him return to Â鶹¹ú²úAV,” said President John Kroger. “We appreciate the robust and far-ranging debate that this prank will continue to spur.”
Tags: Alumni