The final two events of Welcome Week, Sigma Pi’s Pig Roast and SPB’s comedy show, were hosted on campus for OU students Friday, Sept. 10.

Sigma Pi Pig Roast

The 16th annual Pig Roast, hosted by Sigma Pi, brought together a large partof the Oakland community for food and activities.

“We have the privilege of finishing welcome week with a bang,” Sigma Pi President Ryan Rutt said.

The Pig Roast has become an Oakland University tradition, providing free food for everyone present.

The main dish, roasted pig prepared by a local catering company, attracted a continuous line of 70-plus students, professors, and other OU personnel throughout the two-hour event.

Drew Duffiney, a freshmen majoring in biology, was impressed with the turnout.

“There are a lot more people here than any other events I’ve been to,” Duffiney said.

Jennifer Doucet, Phi Sigma Sigma member majoring in business marketing, said the roasted pig tasted excellent.

Doucet’s sorority sister, Jennie Kitchen, a sophomore majoring in elementary education, said the event was successful because there was a mix of Greeks, non-Greeks and different organizations.

In recent years, the roast has been accompanied by carnival games. This year, a new approach was taken.

Wayne Flatt, a senior majoring in biology and four-year member of Sigma Pi, has now attended five roasts.

Flatt enjoyed the event without a “carnival-like atmosphere,” but said it was nice to have the carnival because of the family turnout.

Doug Hakim, Sigma Pi first counselor and sergeant in arms, put a lot of hard work into the production of this year’s event, according to Rutt.

“It was a lot of fun putting it together,” Hakim said. “We gear the most towards this event.”

As attendees ate and made new acquaintances, Tyler Glen, Sigma Pi social and special events chair, kept the crowd entertained, his voice being amplified by a megaphone.

“These are the best years of your life,” Glen said. “I will miss Greek life and college in general.”

Glen will be graduating in May of 2011 with ambitions to attend law school.

The end of the 2010 welcome week came with an extra punch this year as the pig roast served as a warm-up to an SPB sponsored comedy show.

SPB comedy show

Known for his loud personality and recurring appearances on Chappelle’s Show, Charlie Murphy brought his R-rated brand of comedy to Oakland’s campus Sept. 10.

The comedy show, sponsored by the Student Program Board took place in the O’Rena in front of roughly 1,500 students, faculty and staff.

“There were a couple of different comedians that were discussed, like Kevin Hart, Dane Cook, and some other big names,” said Breanna Coleman, the SPB annual events chair. “Several factors played into the decision of booking Charlie, like his popularity from the Chappelle Show and the diverse crowd that knew him.”

Murphy, who has been in show business as an actor, comedian, and writer for over 20 years, came to OU with his friend and fellow comedian Freez Luv.

“It’s like being with family, that’s why we’re always touring together,” Murphy said. “I’ve toured with a lot of different comedians, and everything always goes smooth; that’s why I work with him.”

Unfamiliarity with the area and sound equipment problems didn’t stop Murphy from delivering a two-hour show that had the crowd laughing throughout.

“I wish they would’ve had better acoustics in the back of the room, but other than that, it was a good time,” Murphy said. “I actually didn’t know that Rochester was in Michigan until I got here; I thought it was in Detroit when they said we were going to Oakland University.”

The success of the show, as well as the broad range of possibilities for future entertainers, bodes well for Oakland students who enjoy stand-up comedy.

“A lot of work went into planning the event, but I thought the turnout was really good,” Coleman said. “There will most likely be more. The trend that I’ve noticed is that SPB tries to have at least one comedian a school year.”

Coleman said a comedy tour of various artists sounds interesting and SPB might make it work in the future.