βYes Manβ Pulls Classic Prank at ²Ψ»¨ΈσΦ±²₯ Commencement
Political prankster Igor Vamos ’90, member of the media-jamming duo the , ran true to form Monday at commencement ceremonies at ²Ψ»¨ΈσΦ±²₯.
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 ²Ψ»¨ΈσΦ±²₯ have met with ²Ψ»¨ΈσΦ±²₯’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 ²Ψ»¨ΈσΦ±²₯ media relations contact information and a faked ²Ψ»¨ΈσΦ±²₯ College Sustainability website. (The genuine ²Ψ»¨ΈσΦ±²₯ 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 ²Ψ»¨ΈσΦ±²₯’s commencement speaker by the graduating class.
²Ψ»¨ΈσΦ±²₯ takes seriously the threats presented by climate change. In 2006, the faculty voted to adopt a sustainability mission. Since then, ²Ψ»¨ΈσΦ±²₯ 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 ²Ψ»¨ΈσΦ±²₯,” said President John Kroger. “We appreciate the robust and far-ranging debate that this prank will continue to spur.”
Tags: Alumni