Not Too Sharp: Razor-Filled Muffin Left in a Classroom

By BENJAMIN SARLIN, Special to the Sun
April 29, 2008

In a case that gives ammunition to those who contend that homework is hazardous to health, a New York University senior bit into a razor-filled muffin left on a classroom table last week, according to university officials. The student was not injured.

The muffin was baked for a philosophy course. According to a spokesman for the university, John Beckham, a student brought in the booby-trapped confection along with several normal muffins as part of a project on absurdism, a philosophy based on the belief that the universe is irrational and meaningless. The professor, Heidi White, forgot to throw them out afterward, Mr. Beckman said.

At a later class held in the same room, student Benjamin Jarosch and others began to eat the treats, unaware of the danger.

"A friend of mine, another student, picked them up and said, 'Hey, there's free muffins,' and being college students, we never turn down free food," Mr. Jarosch said yesterday in an interview. "The muffin I happened to grab had razor blades in it."

He said he was lucky: "I spit them out before they cut. It could have been a lot worse, there's no doubt about it," Mr. Jarosch said.

According to Mr. Beckham, Ms. White did not know of her student's plans to bring in the razor-filled muffin, and "has expressed her sincere regret over the incident."

Mr. Jarosch said he has yet to talk with either Ms. White or the student who created the class project, but he plans on doing so soon. He said he is currently discussing the incident with university officials, but would not comment on the nature of the talks.

The incident was first reported in the university's student newspaper, Washington Square News.