Academic Advising still after pranksters

One month after April Fools Day, one bad joke is still ringing sour. Pranksters who sent out false e-mails to freshmen that claimed to be from the Office of Academic Advising are still at large, despite continued University investigation.

"It [the prank] was not funny a month ago, it isn't funny now, nor will it be in a month, or ever," said John Bader, assistant dean of the Office of Academic Advising. "I don't think students realize how serious and how much of an ethics violation it is [to misrepresent and impersonate an administrator]."

To date, the University has traced the hoax e-mail to a foreign ISP address. However, with the discovery of the prank's international components compounding on its vague Internet origin, the search has become "a lot more difficult than we had hoped it to be," Bader said. The origin and route of the e-mail remain unclear. There are no suspects at the moment.

He said that the prankster is most likely a Hopkins student with access to a foreign ISP address, because he did not see "any reason why anyone outside the student body would do something like this [send a campus prank e-mail]."

Bader pledged last month that the University was "working aggressively" to find and prosecute the culprits. Currently, the University's lawyer in the General Counsel's office is investigating the case.

The hoax e-mails began at 9:42 p.m. April 1. Freshmen in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences were told that they had problems with their transcripts that could prevent them from receiving credit for spring semester classes. Freshman in the Whiting School of Engineering received e-mails announcing the test of a bogus new registration system. Both e-mails directed students to come to Garland Hall at 2 p.m., either to visit academic advising for course credit problems or the Registrar for the computer system test.

The Office of Academic Advising sent an e-mail informing students about the hoax April 2 at 3 p.m., after receiving several calls from concerned freshmen.

Bader maintained that the University would seek action against the pranksters when they are found. Responsible students would be brought before the Ethics Board and students would decide appropriate disciplinary action.

If a graduating senior is found to be responsible, the Ethics Board could elect to put a permanent notation on the student's transcript.

"In theory, the council could pursue the notion that this is [an official case of] fraud and seek civil or criminal prosecution," Bader said, but he added that official legal action would be slightly "farfetched" and that the Ethics Board would be sufficient management.

The University council will continue to pursue leads relating to the April Fools prank.

Regardless of the outcome of this case, Bader said that the current investigation will leave the University better prepared for similar pranks in the future:

"While we're hitting a snag in our investigation," he said. "I hope the action we have taken shows students how distasteful this action was."