Rammed to mean packed tight isn't new, is it? We talk about ramming things into things, so to talk about a place being 'rammed' is an extension of that. If people are rammed in, it's a short logical leap to use 'rammed' as an adjective. Presumably it has become more common because people find it useful.

With universities, have you noticed a new universal rule? Because I've always found The University of Blah and Blah University to be interchangeable in common use, although the institution concerned will consistently call itself one or the other on official documents etc.