Kristen Englert
Life & Arts Assistant
To bunk, or not to bunk? This is one of the many questions to plague new students as they enter the world of college dorm living. Most are left to argue with roommates about decorations, color schemes and furniture, but this year incoming freshmen Cory Howard and Andrew Murray were given a little help from the experts.
His senior year in high school, Howard was approached by a producer of TLC’s “Trading Spaces” after being spotted at a baseball awards ceremony in Burbank, Calif. He was asked if he wanted to be featured on “Trading Spaces: College Edition.” Not knowing entirely what that meant, he agreed.
Howard met his roommate, Murray, on Pepperdine’s Converge Program, designed to match roommates with similar likes and dislikes. After Murray also consented to appear on the show, production began.
Howard and Murray were tasked with redecorating the family room of Howard’s parents. On the flip side, Howard’s parents worked to update the students’ dorm space. After two days of designing, the rooms were finished.
The student’s room was complete with sunglass lampshades, pencil tables and a bench with storage. The beds were bunked with built in storage, Velcro curtains and comforters made to look like graph paper — to go with Murray’s love for economics. The pillow cases and artwork in the room were designed photographs that Howard has taken throughout the years, trying to combine the likes of both boys into the design of the room.
Not only did the boys get an improved new dorm, but they also received campus-wide recognition. During New Student Orientation, many students, including freshman Ryan King wanted to see the “boys on TV.”
“I heard a lot about these guys’ dorms from the second I stepped on campus,” King said. “I bet they’re pretty rad.”
Howard and Murray are two laid-back guys enjoying the great opportunity they were afforded, said they are more than willing to share the excitement with other students.
“We just feel so lucky and blessed to have this done,” Howard said. “Everyone is welcome to come look and visit us.”
The show is set to air sometime between mid-November and December.
Despite the buzz about their room, Howard and Murray weren’t the only Pepperdine students to have their dorms redecorated. Towers resident adviser, senior Robyn Boyd, had her dorm redone by furnishing company Bed Bath & Beyond.
After a local news station contacted Pepperdine about having a promotional deal with Bed Bath & Beyond, Boyd’s dorm was revamped into a new room, full of organization tools, bedspreads and school supplies. Boyd was randomly selected by Housing and Community Living, for this opportunity.
Staff from Bed Bath & Beyond arrived at Boyd’s dorm at 6:30 a.m. last Thursday to start. The remodeling store did everything from put up new towels to plaster “Go Green” posters on Boyd’s walls. Revealing the final product to her at about 9:30 a.m. the same day, the decorators left her to enjoy her new room.
Boyd said she was glad when she received the call from Stacy Rothburg regarding the opportunity to change her room.
“It worked because I’m really peppy and have a great attitude and am very grateful for this opportunity,” Boyd said.
Princeton Review has always placed Pepperdine dorms at the top in the country, but the rooms have been taken to a new level this year. Though the changes may not be as apparent as the construction to Elkins Auditorium, it’s the subtle, personal changes to one’s own space that can sometimes mean the most.
08-25-2008
