Rooms now ‘home sweet home’

Through the latter half of this month, students’ on-campusresidence hall rooms will begin to take on the personality of theresidents themselves.

Ranging from posters to pictures to professional sportsnostalgia, room décor is certainly an interesting andimportant portion of college life.

Sophomore physics and electrical engineering major BrittanySmith let her love of the color red come into play when decoratingher Hall Tour Ambassador room in Shuttles Hall.

With red roses and vibrant artwork adorning her walls, Smithexplains her motive behind the lively color scheme.

“My favorite color is red, but I like any bright colorsbecause they are motivating,” she said.

A plethora of primates also pepper her residence, from posterson the wall to plush animals on the bed.

Smith went on to rave about the furnishing options available atWal-Mart, Target and Bed, Bath and Beyond, a sentiment shared byfirst-year Perkins resident Nicole Grossling.

“[My roommate and I] have lofted our beds to put someliving room underneath,” Grossling, a business major out ofSantiago, Chile, said.

Indeed, their third-floor room has all the makings of acomfortable lounge area, complete with a television, extensive DVDcollection and plans for a $100 Wal-Mart futon on the way.

They have decked the walls with posters of Superman, with bedornaments reminiscent of a Hawaiian hula skirt.

Next door, in Smith Hall, first-year computer science andmathematics major Terrence Nolan has become the master oforganization.

The Maryland native got the most bang for his buck at theContainer Store, compiling a dazzling array of portable storagespaces.

Over the next few weeks, Nolan plans on donning his walls withposters of his favorite bands (including Finch and Hoobastank) andfootball team (the Washington Redskins).

Keeping with the pro sports theme, first-year Morrison-McGinnisresident Alexa Tuszynski makes sure that her room relays herpassion for the Dallas Mavericks.

“I was upset when they traded [former Mavs guard] SteveNash, because now I have to get a new poster,” she joked.

A business and pre-Law major from Richardson, Alexa also sharedher plans for a jersey of guard and perennial all-star DirkNowitzki to hang from her fourth-floor wall.

While Tuszynski shows her Mavs pride on the South side ofcampus, aspiring artists Kansas Spencer and Jessica Blackburn boasttheir respective majors in the North Quad.

Spencer, a sophomore studio art major, keeps a collection ofart, including her own work and that of her family members, aboveher bed.

Promoting the concept of recycling, Spencer also has acollection of pictures on her wall, derived from an originalsource.

“The pictures came from an old Beatles calendar that mymom gave me,” she said. “I just cut the bottom off eachmonth and kept the pictures.”

Blackburn, her roommate on the second floor of Peyton Hall,displays her passion for black and white photography through herwall decorations. The sophomore cinema-television major is theowner of posters ranging from The Princess Bride to James Dean.

Meanwhile, in Peyton’s Fine Arts Community counterpart ofMary Hay Hall, sophomore mechanical engineering major MarcMcClendon took the concept of storage into his own hands –literally.

A handcrafted white shelf – eight feet in height –sets the tone in his second-floor bedroom.

“My dad and I built this because I wanted morespace,” the Austin native explained.

The massive shelving unit is self-standing, abiding by all walldamage and fire safety regulations set forth by Residence Life andStudent Housing.

RLSH would like to remind residents of the dos and don’tsof room decorations:

ALLOWED: power strips with surge protectors, UL approvedheavy-duty extension cords with surge protectors, Plasti-tak, bluetape

NOT ALLOWED: screws, nails, tacks, multi-plug outlets, scotchtape, masking tape, adhesive strips, non-heavy duty extensioncords.