For many Scrippsies, the Quegger has taken on an almost mythical status. These parties — a queer-inclusive twist on the traditional kegger — have been well-known at Scripps since 2017. After the onset of COVID-19, Queggers seemed to peter out, being briefly revived in 2022 before dying again in 2023.
But this semester, what many consider to be a quintessential part of Scripps culture is being revitalized. Scrippsies have hosted two Queggers this semester in the Schow Courtyard, on Feb. 15 and March 8. Both have had a turnout of around 200 people, according to attendees.
The first Quegger was advertised with fliers pinned to nearby dorm-room doors, including a handwritten note that read: “Hey! We’re throwing a Quegger this Saturday! Please come and bring your friends! If you have any noise complaints, please come talk to us before calling camp sec. We will be done when quiet hours start at 1am! See you there! Xoxo.”
Scripps parties tend to be smaller, exclusive events, so the open-invite Quegger has long been known as an important part of Scripps community-building.
One senior, Eliet Williamson-Diaz SC ’25, who attended both the original Queggers and their new iterations, is happy they’ve been brought back so that the memory isn’t lost with her graduating class.
“Because of COVID, Scripps lost so much institutional knowledge and culture,” Williamson-Diaz said. “It’s silly and fun but Queggers are a way to bring back that memory and community.”
As a historically women’s college, Williamson-Diaz explained, Scripps was built with the intention of protecting its students. This history factors into the frequently held view that Scripps lacks a party scene.
“Scripps dorms were designed for surveillance under the guise of protecting its students,” Williamson-Diaz said. “We had dorm moms, we had dorm dining halls, we had these beautiful common rooms for supervised socialization, we had walled courtyards and these beautiful walls around Scripps.”
In part due to this architecture, she said, Scripps students have to work harder to distinguish themselves both as independent adults and as people who can throw a fun party.
In light of this, Queggers provide an opportunity for queer people, especially Scrippsies, to negotiate their own fun and build a sense of community.
“Because of COVID, Scripps lost so much institutional knowledge and culture,” Williamson-Diaz said. “It’s silly and fun but Queggers are a way to bring back that memory and community.”
Harvey Mudd College is recognized among students for its exciting dorm culture, while Claremont McKenna College has many popular annual parties to its name.
“Other schools have so much to their name already and so much established party culture,” Williamson-Diaz said. “Let Scripps have one thing, and it’s the Queggers and it’s a very queer scene.”
Within the queer student body, many claim there are even fewer overt community-building opportunities at Scripps — excluding events at the Queer Resource Center, a 5C resource residing on Pomona College’s campus.
Erin Davidson SC ’25 noted this lack of openly queer spaces, saying, “Scripps has a very queer scene that everyone knows about, but it’s never represented.”
Queggers have long provided a meeting place for people of different grades, majors and extracurriculars, allowing queer Scripps students the opportunity to build community outside of their usual friendships.
“When talking to some of my other friends about the Queggers freshman year, they definitely were more Scripps [centered],” Williamson-Diaz said. “But I think they’ve definitely expanded to inviting people from the other 5Cs to come and have fun and share a space with us.”
At last weekend’s Quegger, the courtyard was packed with an exciting atmosphere. According to Anna Grez SC ’27, who attended the last Quegger, going to an event at Scripps proved different from going out at other campuses.
“The Quegger was super fun because it was a great group of people who I feel like I don’t normally get to run into at other 5C parties,” Grez said. “The atmosphere was great, the music was awesome and the location was a great choice.”
Indeed, it seems the Quegger is back in full force. Only one question remains: Is the Quegger here to stay?
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