On the campus of San Jose State, an embarrassing rat problem suddenly reared its ugly head yesterday when the rodent army's apparent leader interrupted a speech by retired federal judge and Prop 8-slayer Vaughn Walker.

The rat reportedly scurried out on to the stage and momentarily grabbed the attention of Walker and his audience before the good humored Judge cracked wise and moved on. One political science teacher told KTVU that the lecture was "successful," aside from the tiny interruption, but that doesn't really address the fact that rodents are literally crawling out of the woodwork around the urban campus. As one student so eloquently put it: “A lot of my classes have rodents and stuff [...] So I just want the construction to finish up quickly. It's kind of annoying.”

The rats are apparently being displaced from the many construction sites around the school, but they aren't the only rodent infestation: the local squirrels have also been ripping out wiring, but no one cares about them because they are adorable.

[KTVU]