Letitia Chai, Cornell University class of 2018, arrived at her "Acting in Public: Performance in Everyday Life" class on May 2 ready to present a trial run of her senior thesis wearing a button-down shirt and cutoff denim shorts. Prof. Rebekah Maggor was displeased, however, and asked Chai, "Is that really what you would wear?" She referred specifically to Chai's "too short" shorts and told Chai that her clothing choices would distract "men's attention" from the content of her presentation. Chai left the room, but soon returned wearing just her bra and panties and delivered her presentation. On May 5, she returned to the classroom to officially present her thesis and stripped down again, with more than two dozen others in the room joining her in bras and panties or boxers. Chai posted on Facebook about the incidents, telling the Cornell Daily Sun she wanted to raise awareness about this "huge societal issue."

Let the tears flow

As finals were ramping up at the University of Utah, one student's class project went viral: Senior Nemo Miller created a stand-alone closet, placed in the J. Willard Marriott Library, where stressed-out students could go for a good cry. KSL-TV reported the Cry Closet caught on quickly; even with a suggested 10-minute limit, Gemini tweeted, "I stayed 11 mins but feel so much better thank you to whoever built this. Can we add a box of tissues please?" Miller filled the closet with stuffed animals and soft materials. "I think everyone just needs a safe space sometimes," she said, "even if it's in a very public place."

Make art great again!

A French museum dedicated to the work of painter Etienne Terrus announced April 27 that more than half of its collection from the 19th-century artist are forgeries. The Terrus museum in Elne, where Terrus was born, gathered a group of experts to inspect the works after a visiting art historian noticed some of the paintings depict buildings that were not constructed until after Terrus' death. In all, 82 paintings were determined to be fake. BBC News reported that the town's mayor, Yves Barniol, called the situation "a disaster" and apologized to museum visitors.

Armed and clumsy

Fort Dodge, Iowa, may not exactly be the Wild West, but tell that to Balew, the pit bull-lab mix belonging to 51-year-old Richard Remme. As Remme and Balew roughhoused at home on May 9, Balew bounded back up onto the couch, where, according to the Messenger, he managed to shoot his owner in the leg. "I carry in a belly band, under my bib overalls," Remme told the newspaper. "And apparently he bumped the safety one time, and when he bounded back over one of his toes went right down into the trigger guard," he explained. Remme didn't realize he had been shot until his pant leg started to turn purple. Balew, however, "thought he was in trouble for doing something wrong," Remme said. He "laid down beside me and cried."

Parrot has bark but no bite

Police in Loerrach, Germany, responded May 14 to complaints about a domestic disturbance after a neighbor reported a loud confrontation that had been going on for some time. But when they arrived, they found a 22-year-old man arguing with his girlfriend's parrot, according to Metro News. The parrot had been barking like a dog, and the man became annoyed with it. No charges were filed.

News of the Weird is compiled by the editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication. Send your weird news items to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.