We’ve all read and are sometimes amazed by tales of pranks committed by college students. These reports make those of us with kids still away at college kind of nervous.

Some of these pranks are downright funny while others are nervous making. I’m thinking mostly about the kind of pranks I hope my kids never read about. Let’s not give them any ideas they don’t already have.

In this story, Harvey is a sophomore at a large, southern university. He’s planning on majoring in business, but right now he’s majoring in monkey business-mostly with coeds.

Harvey is on the second floor of the university library. He’s supposed to be doing research for a paper that’s due in a few days, but at this moment he’s flirting with some cute girls at a nearby reading table.

As the girls gather up their books to head downstairs, Harvey plans to be waiting for them on the front steps outside the entrance to the library.

Harvey’s very observant, and knows of a library chute in a work room on the second floor. Out of sight of the girls, Harvey races toward the library workroom. He ducks his head inside the chute to be sure he’ll fit. It’s a bit snug, but it’ll do just fine.

Harvey lowers himself, feet first, into the chute, takes a deep breath, and lets go. It’s a quick ride, far faster than Harvey ever imagined. There’s an even bigger surprise awaiting him at the end of the chute.

According to a Tennessean newspaper account filed last October, this is not a drop chute for books, but a drop chute for trash and garbage. Harvey finds himself careening down a trash chute directly into the jaws of a hydraulic trash compactor.

Although it’s too late for Harvey, the university does make drastic changes in the type of trash chutes used throughout the campus.

As the authorities like to tell us in matters of this sort: "Don’t try this at home."