Is Pig Roast toast? Springtime event reconsidered

by Emily Price

One of the best parts about springtime at Colby is that we finally get to be outside. Aside from lounging on Miller lawn or parking yourself under a shady tree by Johnson Pond, Pig Roast is one of the few springtime events in which the whole campus can get together to celebrate the sunshine. Of late, rumors have been flying around that Pig Roast might not be happening this year. With hopes to quell the rumors, The Echo sat down with senior football player Sebastien Philemon ’19.

An event like Pig Roast is unique, so The Echo asked Philemon about the history behind it. Philemon explains, “So it’s really interesting. This event was never meant to be a huge, campus-wide party. After going back and talking with guys in the past, it was always just this thing involving our team. It was pretty simple, they roast a pig, and end the year together, just the guys.

If anything, that was the case within the past 10 years or so. It wasn’t until recently that it became a campus-wide event. At the end of the day, we love how everyone on campus can come together in a community event that people seem to enjoy and look forward to as the year ends. I mean, there’s not really one large campus-wide event that’s run by students of its kind.”

Along with other seniors on the football team, Philemon has been tasked with organizing the event. Philemon explains that the event ultimately gets associated with the football team. Given the social climate at Colby, the seniors on the team have expressed their concern about working in coordination with the school so that the event is done properly and goes over smoothly, just like Doghead.

Similar to most colleges, Colby is always trying to improve the campus environment for the betterment of its students. As the environment at Colby evolves, an event like Pig Roast needs to be updated to match the current standards of the school. “We’ve been doing more and more collaboration with the administration, providing more amenities, porta-potties, outside security, extra catering, etcetera, to make sure that in the school’s eyes we are doing everything that we can to ensure everyone’s safety, have fun, and be inclusive,” says Philemon.

Philemon continues, “Pig Roast used to be behind East and West, but when the current senior class came into Colby, the event was moved behind Bobs. That was seen as the right thing to do at the time and we went with it. Since then, it’s continued to morph into what past seniors at the school thought was appropriate.”

So what has Pig Roast evolved into this year? Philemon reveals, “We’ve come to the conclusion that Pig Roast can’t go on, which some may see as unfortunate, but frankly it is what it is. We understand that some of the aspects associated with the event do not promote a safe campus culture, particularly the wrestling that goes on at the event.”

The seniors on the team acknowledge that the wrestling aspect of the event is bad and could potentially put other students in danger. From a senior’s perspective, Philemon explains, “When we came into Colby the wrestling was an old tradition that was just part of the event, but we understand that safety is a priority so we need to get rid of it”

As disappointing as this may be to hear for some students, there was a lot of thought that went into making this decision: “Like I said before, this tradition was something that was already a thing when we came into Colby. We’ve tried to make changes to the event, make the best of the situation, and continue living up to the Colby ideals of fostering community inclusion.”

As the campus has evolved over time and the team needed to make more accommodations for the event, including spending more money, both sides have reached a point where they feel like it’s time to move on from Pig Roast.

But all is not lost. The omission of Pig Roast from this year’s spring activities might serve as inspiration for the creation of new community events. Philemon shares his own experience, “I personally think it would be a great idea, given that the Pig Roast is not happening, if Colby students would remember the event and be inspired by the positivity that the event created in bringing groups together from all backgrounds and enjoying the few weeks of sunshine that we have on this campus.”

Philemon was inspired, along with other students, to come together and have talks about how they could bridge the athlete and non-athlete divide. They came up with the Colby Field Day, which launched in the spring of 2017. SAAC took over it last year, which shows how successful it was.

“My personal motivation for doing something like that was because I saw how successful an event like Pig Roast could be in bringing people together. What was great about the event is that it puts you in the same environment with groups of people on campus with whom you share literally nothing in common, besides the fact that you go to Colby,” says Philemon. Pig Roast certainly isn’t the only event on campus that brings different members of the community together, but the absence of this event may be a cloud over the springtime celebration.