What, we have to wear uniforms?

In 2008, the BBC reported on flying penguins on King George Island. And it wouldn't be the first time that the news of introducing driving on the right side of the road in Great Britain has made the rounds: April 1 offers all jokesters the opportunity to make fun of their fellow human beings. But not only false reports are served on this day; smaller pranks are also common practice. Whether meticulously thought through, Kafkaesque or simply not feasible: Pascal Lienhard asked five University of Freiburg students what they would consider a successful April Fool's Day joke to be.

Foto: yournameonstones/stock.adobe.com

“From now on, all students must wear an official uniform. I would make a big announcement about that: hang up posters in many places and send e-mails so that the message reaches as many people as possible. The outfit for the students is like this: white suit and red tie. The color of the outfit matches the coat of arms of the city of Freiburg. I would also like to announce that anyone who does not adhere to this new regulation will be exmatriculated directly. And then I would be curious to see whether a demonstration would take place.”

Jacob Wagner, Modern History
Photo: Thomas Kunz

“I would love to make the entire University Library (UB) a work of art. A few years ago, at the Documenta exhibition in Kassel, all kinds of objects were packed. So you could declare the UB a work of art for one day and pack it. For example, sheets of books could be used. Of course, it would be a very big, elaborate and almost impossible thing to do. But I like the idea.”

Anna Milbrath, Interdisciplinary Anthropology
Photo: Thomas Kunz

“I would put up signs on the edge of the square of the Old Synagogue saying that access to the square is forbidden today. But I would intentionally print it very small, so that hardly anyone would see it. And when the students enter the campus, I would wet them with a water pistol. I'm sure they'd be shocked for a moment. And I could say that it was their own fault - after all, the warning is plainly stated on the poster.”

Moritz Rommel, Economics
Photo: Thomas Kunz

“April 1st is a bit tricky. In school it had a great relevance for me up to about sophomore year in high school. Over time it lost its importance. But if I were to do something at the University, it might be something like this: in Freiburg, the students in particular are regarded as politically left-wing or green. One could put up posters with content that does not conform to this image. Let's see how people would take it. What would certainly cause a lot of excitement is to pretend that the cafeterias are closed. And really not open them for an hour. That would certainly be pretty tough.”

Seher Cetinkaya, History
Photo: Thomas Kunz

“It would be funny to lock bicycles in front of university buildings with a separate lock. If people come after their classes, they would certainly be panicked. And another idea: You could take chickens or pigs from a farm to a building or lecture hall. The animals would be numbered: one, two, three and five. People wouldn't even know what's going on and would definitely look for number four.”

Marlon Plaaß, Sociology
Photo: Thomas Kunz