pranks are necessary... as we used to say in engineering school:

medical freshmen come thinking they are demigods... somebody has to remind them they still feel pain.

the 2 famous deaths here involved swimming pools and drunken freshmen at the "welcome" party. It could happen on any party.

yeah, in the last decades there were violent or over-sexual stuff, but this is already criminal. some in the newer generation lost the grasp on reality, maybe too much porn, drugs or violent life.

But.. painting the body, asking for money in the street, kissing their veterans' feet, pranks like bringing the veterans band to "lighten" their calculus exam, or ordering them to scream at ants until the ants die...

a little humiliation puts them back in their place (the bottom of the academic foodchain) and, they really get to know the veterans, both during the day and on the party paid with the money they collect. I got quite a few friends there.