Anyone who thinks that the Technical University in Eindhoven always only studies hard and seriously is wrong. Carnival is also regularly celebrated on campus until the early hours. On Tuesday, June 23, TU/e will celebrate its 70th anniversary. Harry Roumen (78) spent almost half a century at Eindhoven University of Technology. As Prince Computarius, he even held sway at the TU/e carnival association d’Onderzukers. “It was a complete carnival association. We only hired the dancers,” says Roumen.
A prince, a monarch, an adjutant with his own council of 11 and even its own carnival magazine. Carnival was celebrated for many years at the Technical University in Eindhoven with a complete association. “We celebrated carnival one evening in the Bunker. The hall was completely sold out with five hundred people.”
The association not only stayed on campus, but also made visits. “We also sometimes went to the university in Delft with a full bus to show them how to really celebrate Carnival,” he says jokingly. “But we also visited the hospital and visited the elderly.”
“Bye, I don’t know where you celebrate Carnival?”
Roumen attended the Technical University almost all his life. He entered in 1964 as an electrical engineering student, but never left TU/e.
He remained associated with the campus until his retirement, including as a kind of general director. At his farewell he was described as ‘mister TU/e’. “I am very proud. This is my university. No one should touch it, period.”
His time as a prince on campus in 1978 certainly contributed to this. “I got to know a lot of people through that and they met me.” He describes his time as carnival prince as a ‘fantastic period’. In addition to the many blocks and research, time was also made available to party.
“They could have carnival here then,” he says. “There were many Limburgers here,” jokes the man whose cradle was in Horn, near Roermond.
Or were those bright minds just having a soft drink? There is a silence, followed by a serious look. “Bye, I don’t know where you celebrate Carnival? As Prince you had to remain somewhat sober. In any case, you were not allowed to cross the border.”
“The university was a male community at the time.”
The only thing missing were the dance marties. “No, we didn’t have one. The university was a men’s community at the time. I think the founders of d’Onderzukers had no need for dance mares.” But, he quickly adds: “We once hired dancers from another association in Eindhoven.”
The carnival association stopped in 1986. The carnival blood ran cold and attendance dropped. They said goodbye with a festive funeral. Student associations then tried to revive the carnival party, including study association GEWIS.
From the 1990s onwards, the campus became increasingly international and the Burgundian carnival life faded into the background. It never became so grand again with its own prince and entourage.
In 2025, an attempt was made to organize the longest polonaise in the world, but that failed. At least 1219 party animals were needed to break the world record, but the counter stopped at 648.
Harry Roumen at the Technical University in Eindhoven (photo: private collection).
