Today, students will gather on the south end of the Free Expression Tunnel for the fifth annual Ram Roast to show their school spirit on the eve of N.C. State’s basketball game against long-time rival UNC Chapel Hill.
The predecessor to the Ram Roast event began years ago as an effort to stop Carolina students from painting the Free Expression Tunnel Carolina-blue the night before game-day. The effort evolved into an annual tradition, and every year students painted the Tunnel red and stood guard at the entrances overnight to ensure it remained that way.
Five years ago, the Alumni Association turned it into a full-fledged event with entertainment and activities. Since then it has been maintained by the Traditions Committee.
Alan Foushee, a sophomore in communication and a member of the Traditions Committee of the Alumni Association Student Ambassadors Program, said the committee wanted to make it more of an event students could enjoy leading up to the game.
‘It started out as students camping out in front of the Tunnel but the Alumni Association made it more of a pep rally instead of having people just standing there,’ he said. ‘The intimidation factor of all the students there should keep the Carolina students away.’
Foushee said there would be many activities for students to participate in throughout the evening on to the next day, including contests and giveaways. The money to fund the events and prizes was provided by the Alumni Association and donations.
The Ram Roast begins at 6 p.m. with free pizza, drinks and a ‘Beat the Heels’ Rollabannas giveaway. Following the women’s basketball game at 7 p.m., also against Carolina, the Ram Roast will begin in full force with the first shift of Tunnel guards and the first of a series of events and contests.
Chandler Thompson, a junior in applied mathematics and a member of the Traditions Committee of the Alumni Association Student Ambassadors Program, said another purpose of the Ram Roast was to draw attention to the women’s basketball game.
‘We really want to encourage people to go to the women’s game at 7 p.m.,’ she said.
As for the rest of the Ram Roast, Thompson said it was to prepare the campus and students for tomorrow’s game. ‘We want to make sure the Tunnel is red during the day of the game,’ she said.
‘We have 35 people set to guard the tunnel from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in shifts. We’ll set up chairs and look out for UNC students, but we want it to be a fun event because if no one’s there it will be easy to paint the Tunnel.’
According to the Ram Roast Facebook event page, a number of contests will be held throughout the night: three wing eating contests, a four-square tournament, an Amazing Race-esque competition and a basketball contest. There will also be karaoke, video games and a pig pickin’.
As far as guarding the Tunnel goes, Thomson said shifts of six to eight students will alternate every two hours to heckle potential threats to the Tunnel, equipped with red paint to cover any blue that may appear throughout the night.
The first 35 people who signed up to guard the tunnel received tickets to the Carolina game, and 15 more tickets will be awarded to the winners of the contests held during the Ram Roast. Participating students will also receive athletic loyalty points throughout the night.
