Todd on the Quad, a beloved Samford homecoming tradition, took place this year just as any other — with one very particular problem.
Typically, this event would consist of students from the classics department, University and Micah Fellows and others who chose to join the congregation on the quad while Dr. Todd, for whom the event is named, roasts an entire pig for the Homecoming tailgate.
However, Todd is currently spending his fall in London accompanying students studying abroad at the Daniel House. In his absence, officers from the classics honors society Eta Sigma Phi, as well as multiple professors who teach in classics, philosophy or the Fellows department, collaborated to host an event to keep the Homecoming tradition going — even if it was Todd-less.
On the Friday night before Homecoming, students gathered outside around small campfires on Brewer Plaza, chatting and making s’mores. One of the professors in attendance, Taylor Cyr, mused about Todd’s absence, comparing the event to the problem of the ship of Theseus.
“Is it Todd on the Quad without Dr. Todd here?” asked Cyr. “Think about what we could change about this event — about Todd on the Quad — such that it no longer counts as Todd on the Quad. You might think that getting rid of Dr. Todd, or him being in London, would be enough, but I think y’all came here under the pretenses of this being Todd on the Quad.”
Olivia Sanders-Rook, a Samford alumna who returned to partake in the tradition this year, talked about what she missed in Dr. Todd’s absence.
“I do miss Dr. Todd’s stories. He’s a very good storyteller, and he usually tells a lot of locally famous stories that are really fun, so I really miss those this year,” Sanders-Rook said. “But it was really good to get to see all of my old professors and a few friends, too.”
At about 11 p.m., another plank of the proverbial ship was lost when it began to rain, forcing event-goers indoors to the SIM Forum in Brooks Hall.
As everyone crowded inside, one student exclaimed, “It’s Todd-less on the Quad-less!”
Once indoors, activities consisted of haiku writing, Myth-tionary (Pictionary, with Greek myths) and ghost stories. And at the end of the night, Dr. Todd joined a FaceTime call to greet those who remained.
Even though by the end of the night, the event was both Todd-less and quad-less, the tradition of classics-based Homecoming fun lives on another year.
Staff Reporter
