SU organisers have given us some amazingly creative names for their Summer Universities, which made us enthusiastic about them; made us partially, decide to choose for their SU, or made us write an article about the 11 SUrprising Facts about SU names. This time we’ve decided to look at the names of the past years and see which ones were the funniest. Here are the Nine Funniest SU Names Ever.
9. 50 shades of Russian…, AEGEE-Voronezh, 2013
This SU is, of course, named after 50 shades of Grey, a novel by E.L. James that was published just one year before, and made AEGEEans everywhere freak out, when they realised that it had become their mum’s favourite book. AEGEE-Voronezh, however, was not so easily deterred, and provided a Russian language course that required kinky toys, such as “notebooks and pens” (holy cow!) They also provided an entertaining cultural programme and some Russian cooking, which, with the vague expectation of BDSM, would mean that instead of getting whipped, you’d have to chuck down four gallons of Borscht..? For example: ‘The next morning my pee was red and I thought she’d given me a urinary tract infection, but then I realised: it was because of something else we did last night #50shadesofRussian’
8. Don’t try this at home (you’ll do it here) a.k.a. ‘Fun, fun, fun’, AEGEE-Iași, 2001
This name comes from a time that most SUs were still primarily known by their course themes, just a couple of their programme’s bullet points instead of their ‘official names’. So, AEGEE- Iași’s ‘Fun, fun, fun’ is a theme that sticks out way better than “German language and culture” or “Aegean sea biological life”… two actual themes for two actual SUs. AEGEE- Iași’s SU is therefore one of the first that did not appeal to a participant’s objective interests, but to their emotional needs. Take this quote from the actual promotional text for their 2001 Summer University: “Iași doesn’t have the Eiffel Tower or the White House, nor the Big Ben or the Empire State Building, but Iași has the spirit”. Yes, ‘the Spirit’ that builds you picture in your wildest fantasies. The one that was specially built by the great Bernini during his ‘make-believe period’. AEGEE-Iași, your description may have been superficial, but your attitude was genuinely exquisite.
7. Across the UAniverse, AEGEE-Kharkiv, e.a., 2015
Instead of a movie about a bunch of aimless, young people who sing Beatles-songs, this is a Summer university about a bunch of aimless, young people who sing Beatles-songs. ‘Across the UAniverse’ took its participants over one thousand kilometres across the Ukraine, to the cities of its organising Antennae: AEGEE-Kharkiv, AEGEE-Dnipropetrovsk, AEGEE-Kyïv, AEGEE-Ivano-Frankivsk & AEGEE-Lviv. It was a loving story between man and country, without the country having any way of consenting to it. And it, maybe, went something like this: ‘Girl’, ‘I want to hold your hand’, if you had a hand, cause ‘all you need is love’. ‘Don’t let me down’ and ‘hold me tight’. I know this trip is long, but, ‘with a little help from my friends’, ‘it won’t be long’. Remember, after we had ‘come together’, I complimented you on your landscape, and you euphorically yelled ‘strawberry fields forever’! But when I later said ‘happiness is a warm gun’, you angrily replied: ‘let it be’; I’ve had enough of that sh*t since March 2014.
6. Move that ass!!!, AEGEE-Nijmegen & AEGEE-‘s Hertogenbosch, 1998
Yes, this was the official name of the actual Summer University of AEGEE-Nijmegen and AEGEE-‘s Hertogenbosch in 1998. The Course Subject during this SU was “Sports & Culture”, which can only mean that lap dancing was finally made the national sport of the Netherlands. Moreover, take a look at the programme description: “we are going to make you sweat!” only needs one exclamation point; the SU’s title needs three. One exclamation point already means that you’re yelling; three means being in a wild panic in a loud room. It’s like some handsome figure is about to grope you in a club, and you then realise that he or she is actually your cousin: ‘move that ass!!!’
5. The Undutchables, AEGEE-Amsterdam, 1997
This name comes from a time, when chiefly known by their course theme. Like we’ve seen before most de facto names for Summer Universities were either a couple of bullet points for their programme or the name of the host city. This makes AEGEE-Amsterdam’s the first SU on (digital) record that named itself using a creative phrase. Undutchable, of course, is 1990s slang for a person, who is hyped up, extremely drunk or horny, and thus loses a certain level of greediness. For example, ‘After chucking a wooden shoe, filled with Heineken and Jenever, and getting high from a bong made out of bicycle-parts, Michiel refused to go to a cheap, Dutch prostitute. Instead, he spent all his money on some kinky, more exotic stuff. #Undutchable, #50shadesofRussian’.
4. macedonIANA JONES, AEGEE-Skopje, 2004
This one had to be for the fans of all three movies. (The fourth one only came out in 2008). Temple of Doom, for instance, was a really significant bit of cinema, because it showed young girls that you don’t have to be a good actress to get a lead in films: you just have to sleep with the director (look it up, true story). This Summer University by AEGEE-Skopje, took you pass archaeological sites, over adventurous terrain, and even included an “Indiana Jones hat and whip” in their list of teaching equipments. From what can be gathered from the promotional story, all participants were literally set on a series of clues that would get them closer to the final, hidden treasure; just like in the movies. A great name for a seemingly great SU.
3. Opa, Dnipro Style!, AEGEE-Dnipropetrovsk, 2013
Another SU that jumped onto the pop-culture-bandwagon in 2013 was AEGEE-Dnipropetrovsk with their parody of ‘Gangnam Style’ (2012) by South Korean artist, PSY. Regardless, AEGEE-Dnipropetrovsk stayed true to its name and included a dance workshop in the programme of their SU. Check out their promotional film, right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dy8IBZbIZrk (That’s it; this video is funnier than anything we could facetiously make up)
2. SUN SEA SEX FUNFUNFUN-TASTIC, AEGEE-Bari, 2003
In 2003, AEGEE-Bari took a page from AEGEE-Iași’s SU and upgraded it, adding an alliteration of the ‘s’ sound and a suffix to the ‘triple fun’. One might have a lot of issues with this name, first and foremost, because Summer Universities ought to be primarily about the cultural education of its participants. Nevertheless, this article is about fun names, and AEGEE-Bari had certainly put in a lot of creative effort into theirs and, therefore, deserves to be commended. However,… just one tip, guys. Basically, everybody knows a number of participants goes on a SU with the expectation to get laid, but this is something that nobody is ever supposed to explicitly mention. Unless… you somehow meant that, on your SU, you, in some way, want to make the sun have sex with the sea. In which case, let me be the first to tell you: intercourse can be too hot and too moist… I know you’re Italian, but believe me. Anyhow, regardless of the idea behind this SU name; keep it classy, you guys.
1. SUrvive me!, AEGEE-Poznań & AEGEE-Rzeszòw, 2005
The winner of our nine funniest SU names of all time has to be SUrvive me! It might not be comically funny, but it definitely is cleverly funny. It is a smartly imagined, daring and short name that immediately grabs the reader’s attention. In just two words, it’s both scary and daring, with the exclamation mark, adding even more immediate tension. Moreover, it’s not a participant asking the question: ‘can this SU survive me’. It’s the SU, not even asking the question or sending an invitation; it merely commands you to survive its outdoor, survival programme. This title immediately summarises a two-week event in just ten characters: it’s a true mastery in minimalism.
Written by Willem Laurentzen, AEGEE-Nijmegen