Dec 17, 2006 - Claremont, Calif. -

President Maria Klawe received the ultimate Harvey Mudd College welcome to work on Tuesday Dec. 12, when she discovered a massive fountain had been installed in her office. The prank, orchestrated by three HMC students, was designed to imitate "A Quiet Place," a fountain and seating area adjacent the Olin Science Center.

Klawe opened the door to be awestruck by a spare, but lush, atmosphere of tranquility built by students especially for her. The long water fountain almost ran the length of her office and was filled with cool refreshing water. Upon the surface of the water, gorgeous flowers bobbed and delicate petals floated. In the middle of the fountain was a large "rock" spilling gentle streams of water thanks to a pump the students rigged. Even colorful artificial fish "swam" in the fountain to add to its flair.

To make the atmosphere even more relaxing, and to remain faithful to the recreation of the fountain area, the pranksters re-purposed two wooden benches from outside Kingston Hall into fountain-viewing stations. Nestled against the wall, they provided a place for Maria to peacefully contemplate her next important presidential decision.

Impressed by the students' ingenuity, Maria commented, "I bet I am the only president who has a Zen garden in her office."

A revealing note on her desk read:

"Dear President, Dr., Dr., Dr., Dr., Dr. Klawe,

It has come to our attention that you work very hard for us. As you have been doing so for over a full semester now, we decided that it was high time you received a prank worthy of your work ethic, but also high time you relaxed. What better way to relax than by sitting alongside a Zen garden? We hope you enjoy it."

The prank was coordinated and delivered by students Martin Field '09, Rudolph Resch '09 and Mathew Lawson '09. "We wanted to do this to welcome President Klawe in true Mudd fashion," explained Resch. "We had been planning the prank for quite awhile, and thought it was high time to finally bring it to life. It was a difficult prank to pull off, but very rewarding. We were glad to see it was received so well. Keep your eyes open for bigger things to come."

The original "A Quiet Place,"

donated by President and Mrs. D.K. Baker.