For many, coming to college and living away from home for the first time can be a frightening experience. To aid with this transition, Resident Assistants (RAs) are available to be live-in helpers for any problems or concerns that may arise. They are also responsible for incorporating a theme for the dorm floor to make the space lively and memorable, something many RAs succeed at, while others… not so much.
Let’s tackle the themes inside the DeGraff buildings with ratings based on their creativity choice and overall execution.
ROM-COMS
THEME RATING: 8.5/10
PRODUCTION RATING: 6/10
This theme is one of the most unique ones I have seen. I think it’s cool to use a movie genre as a theme, especially since romantic comedies are so popular. Movie genres open up possibilities for other themes like mystery or adventure movies. That being said, I think more could have been done to push this theme a little further. The movies as nametags are genius, but the 50 First Dates poster was the only one in the hall, leaving the other walls bare. I would have loved to see more of those, and maybe even a poster with markers where students could write their favorite rom-com.
ANIMAL CROSSING
THEME RATING: 8/10
PRODUCTION RATING: 9/10
Growing up playing Animal Crossing on the Wii, it was nostalgic to see someone use the virtual game as a theme. It’s gained popularity in recent years with its newer versions, so I’m sure it was quite recognizable for a lot of residents, but it wasn’t the most interesting theme I saw. Decoration-wise, there were adorable fun-size cutouts of some of the notable characters from the game like Nook, as well as characters in place of the nametags. This was one of the more colorful halls surveyed.
TAYLOR SWIFT
THEME RATING: 8.5/10
PRODUCTION RATING: 6.5/10
Taylor Swift is a cultural icon for our generation. Many people would be familiar with this theme and excited to see it every time they walked into the hall. Swift’s albums were used as nametags, but my roommate and I remarked that some had sparkly paper and others did not. We agreed that inequality could cause some discourse, as printer copy paper is far less superior to paper that dazzles under lights. Additionally, there weren’t many other Taylor Swift-related elements in the dorm except for a few small posters that highlighted the mandatory quiet hours and dorm info. It would have been cool to see more posters of the singer along the walls or pictures of significant moments in her life.
Over the garden wall
THEME RATING: 7/10
PRODUCTION RATING: 7.5/10
This floor’s theme is based on a show called Over the Garden Wall but, since having not seen it at the time, I thought it was a general tree/nature theme. This hallway had numerous cutouts of trees lining the walls, as well as a small number of pumpkin cutouts. My favorite part of the design had to be the nametags with a mossy design that sported characters from the show. However, I wish the creative elements were taken further with more cutouts, or that the hall had taken a specific nature theme like cottage-core; the nature theme felt too vague at times. I liked the moss designs a lot, so maybe moss along the walls would have been a good addition.
THE OFFICE
THEME RATING: 10/10
PRODUCTION RATING: 10/10
The Office floor theme has to be one of the best I’ve seen while scouring the DeGraff Halls. It opened with the famous Dunder Mifflin sign, as well as tons of cut-outs from memorable scenes from the show like Kevin’s chili disaster, Andy punching the wall, and classic Jim and Pam at the reception desk. There was no doubt what the motif of the hall was. Additionally, I thought having characters in place of the nametags was a humorous decision and a way to facilitate conversations among the students. Hats off to this RA!
HIP-HOP
THEME RATING: 8.5/10
PRODUCTION RATING: 10/10
The creativity from this theme was unmatched; there were tons of posters relating to the hip-hop genre on the wall like music record labels and fun designs. I found the nametags to be incredibly intricate and unique with different music albums from popular artists. The infographic using Drake’s “Hotline Bling” music video was also a fun design. Nevertheless, I do feel that using music genres is a common dorm theme as last year my RA used rap as a motif, but it came nowhere near to the production of this.
CLUB PENGUIN
THEME RATING: 8.5/10
PRODUCTION RATING: 10/10
This theme ignited nostalgia, much like the Animal Crossing one. Club Penguin is a virtual game our generation grew up with. It was neat to see the phenomenon revived with cute decorations. Colorful puffles were used as designs for the nametags, and cutouts of the penguins were scattered across the walls. This RA did a great job of transporting you back in time.
thE TWILIGHT SAGA
THEME RATING: 10/10
PRODUCTION RATING: 9.5/10
Twilight is another one of those cultural icons of our generation that almost everybody knows about, and if not, you force them to watch the movies and read the books in one sitting. Some creative elements for this theme included using notorious characters as nametags, putting up movie posters for each movie (Breaking Dawn: Part 1 might have been stolen), and creating hilarious posters with memorable scenes to share mandatory info. The theme inspired some students to show off their Twilight-related decorations, like a welcome mat and whiteboard.
All in all, the RAs chose some interesting and memorable topics to bring to life in their respective halls. Which was your favorite?
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