Hanna Barker
Staff Reporter
Three words the residents of DMC 101 use to describe their common room are “random, eclectic, and crazy-fun.” This is evident in the Duck Tape wall designs, funky circle mirrors, colorful posters, and handmade wall art around the room.
Friendly competition between suites pushed 101 to make their common room amazing. The room features components contributed by suite members, such as a bright turquoise curtain and colorful paper lanterns, as well as recycled materials. The main goal was to create a usable, creative room on a low budget.
It all began when freshman Luke Schmidt went to Target for tape to hang up decorations in his dorm room, and noticed brightly colored Duck Tape. He bought some in black, white, turquoise, and green, as well as some awesome circular mirrors. With the help of some friends, he created the basic design layout of this room. Later, posters, origami airplanes, thrift shop jars, and a collage made of pictures from a free magazine were added to spice things up even more. There is even a wardrobe labeled “Narnia,” which always gets a laugh from guests. One especially interesting feature is on the wall with the mirrors. “We thought it’d be cool to put random comments on the wall, and someone got the idea to use white Duck Tape,” said Schmidt.
As guests come to visit suite residents, they can add their own comments, inside jokes, and the like. It has even turned into a sort of competition to see who can insult each other the most effectively. It’s like removable graffiti.
When asked what was next, Schmidt said, “It’s not gonna stop. We’re gonna keep on going.” This has definitely been an evolutionary process, and the room will undoubtedly continue to become even more interesting as the year progresses.
