Mass. college students revolt at vegetarian rumor

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. – The rumor that Smith College was going entirely vegetarian, and that it would only buy food from local growers, started a ruckus on the school's Massachusetts campus.

There were protests and counter-protests last week at the prestigious women's college in Northampton, slogans pro and con written on walkways, and personal criticism of the manager of dining services.

It turns out it was a hoax, cooked up by two professors as part of their introductory class in logic.

Professor Jay Garfield tells The Boston Globe (http://bo.st/tqfDGO) the prank was a way to liven up a dry topic. He and professor Jim Henle have started false rumors in the past.

Smith President Carol Christ added to the exercise, saying Monday Garfield and Henle had been fired. That, too, was a hoax.